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Unexplained chronic diarrhea in HIV infection is due to many possible causes, including common bacterial (Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria or Campylobacter) and parasitic infections; and uncommon opportunistic infections such as cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and viruses, [21] astrovirus, adenovirus ...
Since opportunistic infections can cause severe disease, much emphasis is placed on measures to prevent infection. Such a strategy usually includes restoration of the immune system as soon as possible, avoiding exposures to infectious agents, and using antimicrobial medications ("prophylactic medications") directed against specific infections.
The disease is most commonly caused by the varicella zoster virus and is found almost exclusively in patients with HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Progressive outer retinal necrosis is the second most common opportunistic retinal infection in North America among people with AIDS. [4]
In the central nervous system, the most common AIDS-defining condition is toxoplasmosis. Caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected patients mainly presents as encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, but can take other forms as well, such as inflammation of the retinas or lungs.
Ultimately, HIV causes AIDS by depleting CD4 + T cells. This weakens the immune system and allows opportunistic infections. T cells are essential to the immune response and without them, the body cannot fight infections or kill cancerous cells. The mechanism of CD4 + T cell depletion differs in the acute and chronic phases. [103]
Common infections associated with IRIS in these patients are cryptococcosis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and tuberculosis. [3] [6] Neutropenic patients When the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is less than 500 per microliter, there is an increased risk of fungal and viral opportunistic infections (OI), such as Aspergillus or CMV. While the patient ...
Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), [1] [2] a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. [3] Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. [4]
Another cause is the breakdown of the immune surveillance system of the mucosal barrier caused by the depletion of mucosal CD4 + T cells during the acute phase of disease. [ 7 ] This results in the systemic exposure of the immune system to microbial components of the gut’s normal flora, which in a healthy person is kept in check by the ...