An international study coordinated by Spanish research institutes has found that gut bacteria also play their role in the immune recovery of HIV patients. Researchers from a Spanish University have taken part in a study analysing the influence of gut bacteria on immune recovery in HIV-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral treatment (ART). The implications of this finding are that new complementary therapies could be developed that target these bacteria to boost the efficiency of ART and prevent the complications associated with immune deficiency and chronic inflammation.
"HIV patients suffer from persistent immune deficiencies and chronic intestinal inflammation caused, in part, by the very toxins released by the cells to fight off the HIV infection. In this study we have found that, in some patients, certain gut bacteria become activated during ART and begin to amass…
