The incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia and CMV disease is reduced by highly active antiretroviral therapy

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was one of the most common opportunistic in fections in AIDS patients, leading to blindness or life-threatening disease in about 40% of patients in the later stages of AIDS before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In a retrospective multicenter study we inv estigated the incidence of CMV retinitis and organ involvement in Northern Italy before (1995 and 1996) and after the introduction of HAART (1997 and 1998) as well as the data regarding CMV antigenemia. We found a sharp drop in the incidence of CMV disease in AIDS patients as well as a decline in th e incidence of relapses of CMV-disease after the widespread introduction of HAART. Moreover, there was a decrease in the incidence of antigenemia-posi tive cases in AIDS patients in the era of HAART and the median CMV viral lo ad was significantly higher in patients who didn't receive HAART than in pa tients who received HAART (p = 0.001, t test).