Abstract

People infected by the HIV virus do not just have their immune system impaired; their gastrointestinal tract has been recognized as one of the most damaged sites by the infection, and treatment for it can enhance these patients’ quality of life. Therefore, this study aims to address the influence of probiotic supplementation on the health of HIV serum positive patients through a literature review using articles published between 2015 and 2020 that are available in the virtual libraries Scielo, PubMed, and CAPES. This research shows that using probiotics can have beneficial results for HIV serum positive patients. Improvement of dysbiosis with the restoration of the intestinal microbiota, decreases in systemic inflammation, microbial translocation, and improvement in immunological and neurocognitive functions are among the benefits reported in this review, suggesting probiotics may be a low cost and effective support therapy to delay the onset and aggravation of morbidities related to HIV infection.

Keywords:Probiotics; Acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome; Infectious diseases; Immunomodulation; Inflammation