HIV and the Gut Microbiota, Partners in Crime: Breaking the Vicious Cycle to Unearth New Therapeutic Targets

Figure 1

The vicious cycle of HIV infection. HIV infection has immediate effects in the gut where lymphocytes are depleted and damage to the endothelium allows for microbial translocation. Microbiota, when not cleated by the liver, go on to have systemic effects most notably through IDO production which is capable of creating a vicious cycle of inflammation.