Evaluation of clinical, laboratory, radiographical and histopathological characteristics in patients with spinal tuberculosis in the context of HIV infection: An analysis of 52 patients from a South African tertiary hospital.

In our cohort, HIV-infected patients with STB were more likely to present with vertebral collapse, and more vertebrae on average were diseased compared with HIV-uninfected patients with STB. CD4 cell count may affect granuloma formation, and it seems that HIV infection has a negative effect on cellular immunoresponse in STB, which emphasises the need for early antiretroviral therapy initiation.