Antiretroviral therapy, commonly referred to by its acronym ART, is an HIV treatment regimen. Highly active antiretroviral therapy stops the virus from making copies of itself in the body, therefore controlling the infection. It helps the immune system restore itself, halts disease progression, and prevents opportunistic infections from developing. ART is able to reduce HIV to such small quantities that it can no longer be detected by standard blood tests, nor can it be transmitted to others.