What kind of infections are people with HIV vulnerable to?

MAC

Tuberculosis (TB)

Salmonellosis

CMV

Herpes

Hepatitis

Epstein Barr

Genital Wart

Molluscum

Candidiasis

Cryptococcus

Histoplasmosis

Pneumonias

-Bacterial

-PCP

Toxoplasmosis

Cryptosporidium

Isosporiasis

They are more susceptible to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections in general, which healthy people are all exposed to. Healthy immune systems are able to fight these off. The types of infections that become a problem for people with compromised immune systems are called "opportunistic infections".

In particular, these infections have a much higher incidence in people with HIV:

1. CMV or Cytomegalovirus - this is the virus that causes genital warts. It also causes characteristic eye infections in HIV infected patients.

2. EBV or Epstein-Barr Virus - this virus causes mononucleosis, and also causes a condition called hairy tongue which is found almost exclusively in HIV infected patients.

3. Candidiasis - Causes vaginal and oral yeast (fungal) infections.

4. Other fungal infections that may infect the lungs or central nervous system such as Toxoplasmosis and Histoplasmosis

5. Pneumonia - in particular PCP pneumonia (PCP stands for pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) PCP is a bacterial pneumonia that responds well to treatment with the antibiotic Bactrim. This particular pneumonia is very rare in people NOT infected with HIV.

These diseases are also associated with HIV:

1. Lymphoma - this usually manifests as swollen lymph nodes, or "glands", and can be related to an enlarged spleen. It's also associated with EBV.

2. Kaposi's Sarcoma - This is a kind of cancer very common in people with full blown AIDS, but VERY rare in healthy individulas. It causes dark discolorations that appear in different places on the skin.

With the immune system being compromised, they are vulnerable to any infection.