AIDS and Infections (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: AIDS-related opportunistic infections, OIs

Having AIDS weakens your body's immune system. Your immune system normally fights germs that enter your body. When AIDS makes it weak, it can't fight germs well. This can lead to serious infections that don't often affect healthy people. These are called opportunistic infections (OIs).

There are many types of OIs. Tuberculosis and a serious related disease, mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) are bacterial infections. Viral infections include cytomegalovirus (CMV) and hepatitis C. Fungi cause thrush ( candidiasis), cryptococcal meningitis, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and histoplasmosis, and parasites cause crypto ( cryptosporidiosis) and toxo ( toxoplasmosis).

Having AIDS can make any infection harder to treat. People with AIDS are also more likely to suffer complications of common illnesses such as the flu.

The good news is that you can help prevent infections by taking your AIDS medicines. Other things that can help include practicing safe sex, washing your hands well and often and cooking your food well.

Start Here

HIV: How to Avoid Infections If You're HIV Positive(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/sexinfections/hiv/248.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/sexinfections/hiv/248.printerview.html
Opportunistic Infections(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/500?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/500?lang=spa

Overviews

Strategies for Managing Opportunistic Infections(Project Inform) - http://www.projectinform.org/info/ois/index.shtml
Also available in Spanish http://www.projectinform.org/info/ois/index_sp.shtml

Treatment

MedlinePlus: AIDS Medicines(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aidsmedicines.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/aidsmedicines.html

Prevention/Screening

CD4 (T-Cell) Tests(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/124?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/124?lang=spa
Preventing Infections during Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/travel.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/travel.htm
Preventing Infections from Pets(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/brochure/oi_pets.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/pets.htm
Recommended Immunizations for HIV Positive Adults(AIDSinfo) - Links to PDF - http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/Recommended_Immunizations_FS_en.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/Inmunizacionesrecomendadas_FS_sp.pdf
Safe Food and Water(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/brochure/food.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/food.htm
You Can Prevent CMV (Cytomegalovirus)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/cmv.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/cmv.htm
You Can Prevent Cryptosporidiosis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/crypto.htm
You Can Prevent MAC (Disseminated Mycobacterium Avium Complex Disease)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/mac.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/mac.htm
You Can Prevent Toxo(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/toxo.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/brochures/toxo.htm

Specific Conditions

AIDS, HIV and the Eye(American Academy of Ophthalmology) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ2PS4OPGE&sub_cat=0
Candidiasis (Thrush)(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/501?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/501?lang=spa
Cryptococcal Meningitis(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/503?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/503?lang=spa
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and AIDS(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/504?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/504?lang=spa
Hepatitis C (and HIV)(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/507?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/507?lang=spa
Herpes Zoster (Shingles)(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/509?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/509?lang=spa
HIV-Associated Rheumatic Disease Syndromes(American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/HIV.asp?aud=pat
HIV/AIDS and the Flu(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/treatment/resources/factsheets/hiv-flu.htm
MedlinePlus: Pneumocystis Infections(National Institutes of Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pneumocystisinfections.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/pneumocystisinfections.html
Mouth Problems and HIV(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/HIV/MouthProblemsHIV/default.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Espanol/SaludOral/LosProblemasOralesVIH/ProblemasOralesYInfeccionVIH.htm
Neurological Complications of AIDS(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/aids/detail_aids.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/complicaciones_neurologicas_del_sida.htm
Opportunistic Infections and Related Diseases, and Their Treatment(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/categories/view/13
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pml/pml.htm
Role of STD Detection and Treatment in HIV Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/STDFact-STD&HIV.htm
Skin Conditions Related to AIDS(American Academy of Dermatology) - http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/viral_skin.html
Toxoplasmosis (and HIV)(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/517?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/517?lang=spa
Tuberculosis: The Connection between TB and HIV (the AIDS Virus)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/pamphlets/tbandhiv_eng.htm
Valley Fever(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/valley-fever/DS00695/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print

Related Issues

Immune Restoration(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/481?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/481?lang=spa
Immune Restoration Syndrome(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/483?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/483?lang=spa
Re-Infection: Is It a Concern for People Living with HIV?(Project Inform) - http://www.projectinform.org/info/reinfection/index.shtml

Videos

TB and HIV - A Dangerous Partnership(Healthy Roads Media) - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engtbhiv.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=opportunistic+infections+AIDS

Research

Immune Therapies in Development(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) - http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/480?lang=eng
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/480?lang=spa
Outcomes of HIV Infection in Persons Who Resume Treatment after Interruptions(American College of Physicians) - Links to PDF - http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/149/5/I-30.pdf

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Emergencies in HIV medicine--part I. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19086356&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Changing global epidemiology of pulmonary manifestations of HIV/AIDS. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19059959&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: HIV/AIDS education: still an important issue for veterinarians. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19006969&tool=MedlinePlus
AIDS and Infections -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=aids+related+opportunistic+infections[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms(AIDSinfo) - http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/Glossary/GlossaryDefaultCenterPage.aspx?MenuItem=AIDSinfoTools
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/SpanishGlossary_sp.PDF

Organizations

AIDSinfo(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/infoSIDA/
CDC Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/
NIAID Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/daids/

Children

Cytomegalovirus(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/cytomegalovirus.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/infecciones/cytomegalovirus_esp.html

Women

Gynecological Conditions and HIV/AIDS(Project Inform) - http://www.projectinform.org/info/gyn/
Also available in Spanish http://www.projectinform.org/info/gyn/index_sp.shtml
Opportunistic Infections (OIs)(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/hiv/livingwith/ois/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

AIDS - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aids.html
AIDS Medicines - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aidsmedicines.html
AIDS--Living with AIDS - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aidslivingwithaids.html
Cryptosporidiosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cryptosporidiosis.html
Fungal Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fungalinfections.html
Hepatitis C - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisc.html
Herpes Simplex - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herpessimplex.html
Kaposi's Sarcoma - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kaposissarcoma.html
Pneumocystis Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pneumocystisinfections.html
Toxoplasmosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/toxoplasmosis.html
Tuberculosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tuberculosis.html
Immune System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystem.html
Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html

The primary NIH organization for research on AIDS and Infections is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/

AIDS and Infections - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/aidsandinfections.html