HIV infection induces alterations in almost all immune
cell populations , mainly in CD4+
T cells , leading to the development of
opportunistic infections . The gut-associated
lymphoid tissue (GALT) constitutes the most important site for
viral replication , because the main target
cells ,
memory T-cells , reside in this
tissue . It is currently known that alterations in GALT are critical during the
course of the
infection , as
HIV-1 induces loss of
tissue integrity and promotes translocation of microbial products from the intestinal lumen to the systemic circulation, leading to a persistent immune activation
state and immune exhaustion. Although antiretroviral
treatment decreases
viral load and substantially improves the
prognosis of the
infection , the alterations in GALT remains, having a great impact on the
ability to establish effective
immune responses . This emphasizes the importance of developing new
therapeutic alternatives that may promote structural and functional integrity of this
tissue . In this regard,
therapy with
probiotics /
prebiotics has beneficial effects in GALT, mainly in
syndromes characterized by intestinal
dysbiosis , including the
HIV-1 infection . In these
patients , the
consumption of
probiotics /
prebiotics decreased microbial products in
plasma and CD4+
T cell activation, increased CD4+
T cell frequency, in particular Th17, and improved the
intestinal flora . In this
review , the most important findings on the potential impact of the
probiotics /
prebiotics therapy are discussed.