[Tuberculosis and HIV infection]

While HIV has changed the tuberculosis situation in an unprecedented way on a global scale, its impact in western Europe on tuberculosis has remained relatively small, largely due to achievements in control over the past decades. To what extent HIV may thwart these achievements in some population segments (e.g. injection drug users) remains to be seen. Nevertheless, irrespective of the extent of the HIV epidemic, basic principles in tuberculosis control must be upheld, now more than ever: tuberculosis must remain part in the differential diagnosis, and once diagnosed, it must be assured that treatment is not only initiated but brought to successful conclusion. From an individual point of view, preventive therapy with isoniazid for dually infected persons is desirable as it effectively reduces the risk of subsequent tuberculosis even in the presence of HIV infection.