Why is interferon used in the fight against infections diseases such as hiv?

Is not used anymore for HIV. It's a natural antiviral, your body produces it all the time when you have a viral infection. It's used in other infections as in hepatitis C.
PS: Il-2 (interleukin 2) it is used in investigational trials to increase the production of cd4's. This is not interferon, though. Both are cytokynes (compounds produced by the lymphocytes as a response to an antigen as a virus) but they have different uses. Interleukin -2 has been showed to actually increase the CD4's, but unfortunatelly no study shiwed yet that those CD4 are more effective in delivering immunity (as somebody who uses testosterone would have big muscles but will not be stronger- that's just an example-).
So again, interferon is the most useful substance against Hep C nowadays, in HIV positive patients is used alone (without ribavirin because of the interaction with the meds). It is a natural substance in our bodies but the one that is given extra is recombinant ( meaning a scientist copies the human substance and puts it in a bottle)

Hi there,

Interferons, especially Interleukin-2 (Proleukin) is only approved for the treatment of certain types of cancer. It is still considered an experimental drug for HIV-related therapy and it has not yet been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in people living with the virus.

Unlike drugs currently used to treat HIV, Proleukin does not attack the virus. Proleukin boosts the production and activity of several important immune system cells. These cells include T-cells (T4 cells and T8 cells), B-cells (which produce antibodies), macrophages, and natural killer cells (NK cells).

Researchers believe that Proleukin can be helpful to HIV-positive people in two ways: 1) to help protect the immune system from the damage caused by HIV, and 2) to help the immune system control HIV reproduction.

Proleukin doesn't attack HIV. It helps T-cells and other important immune system cells (e.g., B-cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells) to grow. Many patients who have used Proleukin have seen large increases in their T-cell counts and other important cells.

Proleukin 鈥?particularly the intermediate and high doses 鈥?should be used in combination with anti-HIV drugs. This is because it can also cause viral load to increase in the absence of effective anti-HIV therapy.

In the past, Proleukin was found to increase T-cell counts in patients who had relatively high T-cell counts to begin with (i.e., greater than 200 cells/mm3). New research has shown that lower doses of the drug can be used to boost T-cell counts in patients with lower T-cell counts. In other words, Proleukin may have two advantages: 1) to protect the immune system in people who have normal T-cell counts, and 2) to restore the immune system in people who have low T-cell counts.

Some researchers believe that Proleukin will help HIV-positive people's immune systems gain better control HIV, even in the absence of anti-HIV drug therapy. This does not mean that Proleukin will be a cure. Researchers are attempting to "prime" the immune system to help keep HIV at low levels so that it won't cause additional damage to the immune system. Studies are now being conducted to examine this possibility.

Hope this helps clarify things.

Cheers.

another valid point is that many who have HIV also have HCV-some who opt to treat do so with antiviral chemotherapy which in this case interferon would be used.
interferon is a man made substance very close to our natural kind of interferon our bodies make. it is used to boost the immune fighting cells along with an oral medication-ribavirin. sometimes amantadine is used as well.

There seems to be a good outcome regardless of a SVR in those dually infected as well.

Ask your doctor for advice and good luck to you.