Mycoplasmas and HIV infection, a possible interaction through immune activation

Abstract

The persistence of HIV in the host is associated with a state of chronic immune activation with deleterious effects. In addition to HIV, several infectious agents can contribute to this activation and, consequently, to an increased HIV load. We have postulated that mycoplasmas could act as cofactors of HIV, contributing to a faster progression of the disease through increased immune activation. Mycoplasma penetrans was shown to be associated with HIV infection and recent data have indicated the capacity of this mycoplasma to activate different functions of the immune system. However, its role as an HIV cofactor remains to be demonstrated.