Review

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis: A collaboration to kill

Jason L. Haskins, Jonathan Ladapo and Veronica C. Nwosu*

Department of Biology, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707, USA.

*Corresponding author. E- mail: vcnwosu@nccu.edu Tel: (919) 530-6170

Accepted 24 December, 2009

   Abstract

HIV continues to be a serious problem in developing countries. It is estimated that these countries account for about 35% of all reported HIV cases in the world. Most of these countries, which are plagued by poverty and poor sanitation, have begun to see an increase in the number of tuberculosis (TB) infected cases. In decades leading to the 1990s, tuberculosis had been on a decline in the world and was thought to be on its way to elimination. However, during the early to mid 1990s health officials began to see a rise in the reported cases of TB, especially in developing countries. Even more astounding was that out of those reported TB cases, about 30% of the affected individuals also tested positive for HIV. These findings prompted a deeper look into the relationship between HIV and tuberculosis to better understand the pathogenesis of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis and their combined capability for enhanced virulence.

Key words: HIV, tuberculosis, lymphocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, CD4 receptors, chemomkine receptors, alveoli cells, reverse transcriptase, protease inhibitors, rifampicin, rifabutin, HAART.