Parotid gland enlargement is common in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Although parotitis is the usual histopathological feature in such cases, patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome are at high risk of developing both lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma of the parotid gland. Human immunodeficiency virus, however, is not detected within the parotid parenchyma even in the presence of Kaposi's sarcoma. The pathway of the virus' entry into the saliva remains unknown.