Treatment and prevention of cytomegalovirus-associated diseases in HIV - 1 infection in the era of HAART

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the most common chronic viral infections and is one of the most important opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients. Although HAART has substantially improved the morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients and decreased the frequencies of AIDS-related diseases, opportunistic infections including CMV end-organ diseases still remain a significant clinical challenge. Here we review the clinical manifestation and diagnosis of CMV end-organ diseases including the potential role of CMV infection in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. We explain how HAART has changed the epidemiology of CMV disease in HIV infection and discuss how this influences current treatment guidelines for the prevention of CMV disease and CMV-associated immune recovery syndrome.