Immune Restoration in Patients with HIV Infection: HAART and Beyond

Since the introduction of highly activeantiretroviral therapy (HAART), there has been adramatic decrease in HIV-related morbidity andmortality.Suppr essing HIV replication by HAART can resultin a restoration of the CD4+ T-cell count and, consequently, a diminished risk of opportunistic infections.However, the degree of immune restoration that can beachieved with HAART varies from patient to patient.Itis often incomplete and can be poorest in thosepatients who, because of their very low CD4+ counts, need it the most.Additional approaches are needed toincrease immune restoration still further.Structur edtreatment interruptions, therapeutic immunization, and recombinant interleukin-2 are three such optionsthat are currently being investigated.