Recent advances: HIV infection II

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Abstract
The spectrum of opportunistic infections depends on geography. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, for example, is common in the developed world, but not in Africa, where tuberculosis is by far the most common opportunistic problem.1 Penicillium marneffei infection has recently emerged as a major opportunistic mycosis in northern Thailand,2 and visceral leishmaniasis occurs in several parts of the Mediterranean and Latin America.3 The profile of opportunistic infections has changed since the beginning of the epidemic. In the developed world, survival has improved with the availability of antiretrovirals and prophylactic agents,4 and the opportunistic infections that occur with more advanced immunosuppression, such as cytomegalovirus retinitis and Mycobacterium avium complex infections have become more common.5 6 Furthermore, many opportunistic infections seem to be occurring at lower CD4 counts than earlier in the epidemic,7 highlighting again the successes of prophylactic measures and antiretroviral agents.