Malariotherapy for HIV patients.
The objective of this study was to determine whether HIV patients who undergo malariotherapy experience beneficial immunological change without iatrogenic complications. In an approved, prospective study, asymptomatic. HIV-positive patients were inoculated with P. vivax malaria and the malaria infection was allowed to run a predetermined course according to standard malariotherapy protocols and was cured with chloroquine. After termination of the malaria, the patients have been followed for 2 years with clinical and immunological monitoring. In the first two HIV-positive patients, CD4 counts rose significantly from pre-malaria measurements and remain at normal levels 2 years later without further treatment of any kind. During this time, the patients remained clinically well. An additional six HIV-positive patients were treated with malariotherapy and have remained clinically well during the first 6 months after treatment. These initial studies demonstrate malariotherapy results in an increase in CD4 counts of HIV-positive patients. Furthermore, these increases persist beyond the presence of malaria, for at least 2 years.