Opiates, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and HIV

Remarkably, interest in the pathogenetic effect of opiates on the course of bacterial infection can be traced to the late 19th century (1). Although the infectious disease complications of intravenous (IV) drug use were clearly recognized by the mid-20th century (2,3), serious attention to the mechanisms whereby opiates might participate in the pathogenesis of infectious disease did not surface until the past decade. Contemporary interest in this area of research has been rekindled, in no small way, by the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and realization that IV drug users are a critically important high risk group in the spread of this devastating infection (4).