1999 USPHS/IDSA Guidelines for the Prevention of Opportunistic Infections in Persons Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Abstract

In 1995, the US Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) developed guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections (OIs) in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1–3]. These guidelines, written for health-care providers and patients, were revised in 1997 and published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [4, Clinical Infectious Diseases [5], Annals of Internal Medicine [6], American Family Physician [7], and Pediatrics [8]; an accompanying editorial appeared in Journal of the American Medical Association [9]. Response to these guidelines (e.g., the many requests for reprints and observations from health-care providers) suggests they have served as a valuable reference for HIV care providers. Because the 1995 and 1997 guidelines included ratings that indicated the strength of each recommendation and the quality of supporting evidence, readers were able to assess the relative importance of each recommendation.