The effect of oral probiotics on CD4 count in patients with HIV infection undergoing treatment with ART who have had an immunological failure

Abstract

Introduction: Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in appropriate colonies, can delay the destruction of the immune system and contribute to the maintenance of immunity in HIV patients. Probiotics play an important role in stimulating natural killer T cells, strengthening the functional gut barrier, and reducing systemic inflammation. Methods: This study was a randomized double-blind clinical trial involving 30 patients treated with antiretroviral therapy who had experienced immunological failure despite HIV viral suppression. Patients were divided into two equal groups of 15, group (B) received two probiotic capsules daily with a colony count of 10⁹ CFU per capsule containing seven strains, after 3 months they were examined for CD4+ counts by flow cytometry, and after a 1-month washout period the participants who had received probiotics were switched to placebo, and the participants who had received placebo were given probiotics for 3 months, and they were examined for CD4+ counts 7 months after the start of the study. Results: In the first group (A), administration of the placebo resulted in a decrease in CD4 count in the first 3 months (from 202.21 to 181.79, p value <.001).