Why is antimicrobial resistance a problem for HIV carriers?
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). As many of these viruses are made in the body during the period of infection the chance of one or more of these viruses being slightly different to the parent virus and therefore able to resist the effects of the anti-HIV drugs is high. The rate at which the viruses replicates is so high (meaning a resistant virus can produce many other resistant viruses in a relatively short space of time) that a variety of drugs (called combination therapy) must be taken to try to keep the virus levels in the infected person as low as possible. Another problem is that of antimicrobial resistance of the bugs that cause what are know as opportunistic infections. When a person has AIDS their immune system is unable to cope with infections that a healthy person could overcome quickly. Effective treatment by antimicrobial agents is essential to get rid of the infecting organism and prevent more serious conseque
