Mycobacterium tuberculosis microbiologic and clinical treatment outcomes in a randomized trial of immediate versus CD4(+)-initiated antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults with a high CD4(+) cell count.

In a prospective randomized, controlled trial in Uganda comparing the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy during tuberculosis therapy with the efficacy of tuberculosis therapy alone in HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis who have a CD4(+) cell count >350 cells/microL, it was found that antiretroviral therapy did not accelerate microbiologic, radiographic, or clinical responses to tuberculosis therapy: 18% of participants had sputum smears positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis after 5 months of tuberculosis therapy, despite having had negative culture results. Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00078247 .