Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 interaction: Pathogenesis and disease modulation in dual infection

In this thesis, we look at the clinical and immunological impact of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) on HIV-1 infection and disease. We show that, unlike other HIV related opportunistic infections, successful treatment of MTB disease may in some patients be associated with some degree of decrease in HIV-1 load. However this is partial, and not sustained, and does not halt the progress of HIV disease. In fact, active MTB disease is often associated with unrelenting progression of HIV to AIDS thereafter, with death often following within a couple of years without the intervention of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART).