[Opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients]

HIV-infected patients are prone to frequent opportunistic infections (OI). Their fundamental differences to infections in the immunocompetent host are explained. The most frequent OI is pneumonia caused by pneumocystis carinii. A brief overview on diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of encephalitis due to toxoplasma gondii, candidiasis, meningitis due to cryptococcus neoformans, tuberculosis, infection by atypical mycobacteria, infection by viruses of the herpes group--in particular cytomegalovirus--and cryptosporidiosis is given.