Lessons learned from HIV pathogenesis and therapy: implications for better management of cytomegalovirus disease.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Lessons learned from HIV pathogenesis and therapy: implications for better management of cytomegalovirus disease.

AIDS. 1996 Nov;10 Suppl 1:S31-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97125602
Hardy WD; Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education, UCLA School of; Medicine, USA.

Abstract: AIM: To review how developments in virological quantitation technology have altered our understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV infection, and the way in which we treat the disease, and to consider how we may apply this type of knowledge to improve the management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. HIV PATHOGENESIS: HIV can no longer be regarded as the cause of a chronic, latent infection but rather as one that is active from the time of initial infection. The destruction of the immune system begins almost immediately after the primary infection is established. Throughout the course of the disease there is a constant war being waged between the rapidly replicating virus and the host's immune system. UTILITY OF MEASUREMENT OF VIRAL LOAD: Viral load has been found to be a reliable and discriminating marker for predicting prognosis in HIV disease and for the evaluation of anti-HIV therapies. IMPLICATIONS FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION AND DISEASE: Unlike HIV, CMV is a truly latent infection with periods of active, detectable viral replication as well as quiescence. CMV DNA quantitation (CMV viral load), primarily by polymerase chain reaction can be used to determine when the infection becomes active in order to decide whether primary prophylaxis or pre-emptive therapy should be given. In this manner CMV viral load quantitation has considerable utility for monitoring the pathogenesis and type of treatment necessary for CMV infection in patients with AIDS.

Keywords: *AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/DRUG THERAPY *Cytomegalovirus Infections/COMPLICATIONS *Cytomegalovirus Infections/DRUG THERAPY *HIV Infections/DRUG THERAPY *HIV Infections/ETIOLOGY
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