The influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection as a co-factor in HIV-1 disease progression has mainly been studied in haemophiliacs and remains controversial. Based on the files of 1683 HIV-1-infected patients in the Seropositive Cohort (SEROCO) and Haemophiliacs Cohort (HEMOCO) cohorts, we studied the role of CMV infection in progression to CD4+ cell counts of less than 200 microl, AIDS onset and death, in various HIV exposure groups. Adjusted relative risk (aRR) of progression to AIDS and to death was respectively 1.30 (P = 0.05) and 1.58 (P = 0.007). In the sexual exposure group the influence of CMV infection on the risk of progression to AIDS was of borderline significance (aRR = 1.50; P = 0.07) and was more marked on the risk of death (aRR = 2.00; P = 0.03). No such influence of CMV infection was observed in the transfusion and intravenous drug use exposure groups. When we studied the influence of CMV infection according to the stage of HIV disease, the main effect was on progression from AIDS to death, probably because CMV disease is a late event. Sexual CMV transmission and frequent re-exposure to CMV may explain why CMV infection emerged as an important co-factor for HIV progression only in the sexual exposure group.