Tuberculosis and HIV infection worldwide

The incidence of HIV-associated tuberculosis is increasing worldwide and will continue to increase during the foreseeable future, especially in developing countries. HIV infection appears to increase the opportunity for M. tuberculosis to succeed in causing infection after inhalation into the lungs. Moreover, there is persuasive evidence that in the presence of HIV infection, new-onset tuberculous infection will progress rapidly to clinically significant disease and the likelihood that latent tuberculous infection will reactivate is enormously increased. The accelerating and amplifying influence of HIV infection is contributing to the increasing incidence of disease caused by multidrug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. Neither clinical or radiographic features reliably distinguish the majority of patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis from those who are non-HIV-infected. The remainder, however, may have atypical manifestations and be difficult to diagnose. Six months of chemotherapy with conventional antituberculosis drugs cures most patients, but many die during or after treatment of other AIDS-related complications.