Pneumococcal Bacteremia in the Era of Potent Combination Antiretroviral Therapy

Streptococcus pneumoniae can be considered an opportunistic pathogen among HIV-infected people. The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease may be 35 to 100 times greater than in the general population (ACC Jul 13 2005), recurrences are common, and pneumococcal vaccination is thought to offer limited protection once advanced immunosuppression occurs. Potent combination antiretroviral therapy has led to a decline in the incidence of many HIV-related opportunistic infections. Could invasive pneumococcal disease be one of them? To evaluate this possibility, investigators assessed the incidence of pneumococcal bacteremia among 3143 HIV-infected adults in Barcelona before and after the introduction of potent combination antiretroviral therapy…