MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM COMPLEX INFECTIONS - A REVIEW OF TREATMENTS

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections are the most frequent opp ortunistic infections in AIDS. Since progress in antiretroviral drugs enables AIDS patients to survive longer, these infections involve an i ncreasing number of sick people. Few controlled assays have evaluated the efficiency of several antibiotics. When used in monotherapy, clari thromycin (one gram twice a day) appeared as the most efficient drug w hile the effectiveness of azithromycin, clofazimine, rifampin and lipo somal encapsulated gentamicin have not been truly proved. Due to its b acteriologic and clinical effects, the most interesting polytherapeuti c scheme is the association of clarithromycin (1 g twice a day), etham butol (15 mg per kg and per day) and rifabutin (600 mg per day).