Opportunistic infections: down but not out.

While the 6th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections focused heavily on HIV therapies and their complications, issues related to opportunistic infections (OIs) continued to draw attention. The dramatic reduction in OIs in the HAART era and evidence supporting the discontinuation of OI prophylaxis were discussed. Studies related to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), MAC and TB, CMV, and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) were presented. OIs continue to be a major area of concern in developing countries, where drug therapies are often too expensive to be practical. Prophylaxis against bacterial infections and TB offer the best hope for prolonging life in those countries.