Diagnostic options for pulmonary fungal diseases in Africa.

Background: Fungal lung diseases are global in distribution and require specific tests for diagnosis. We report a survey of diagnostic service provision in Africa.

Methods: A written questionnaire was followed by a video conference call with each respondent(s) and external validation.

Invasive Fungal Diseases in Africa: A Critical Literature Review.

Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are of huge concern in resource-limited settings, particularly in Africa, due to the unavailability of diagnostic armamentarium for IFDs, thus making definitive diagnosis challenging. IFDs have non-specific systemic manifestations overlapping with more frequent illnesses, such as tuberculosis, HIV, and HIV-related opportunistic infections and malignancies. Consequently, IFDs are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Diagnosing disseminated histoplasmosis in advanced HIV/AIDS disease in Cameroon using a point of care lateral flow assay.

Histoplasmosis is an AIDS-defining opportunistic infection. Disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) can be fatal without early diagnosis and treatment initiation. We present one confirmed and three probable cases of DH in advanced HIV/AIDS disease patients diagnosed using OIDx LFA in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

SARS-CoV-2, HIV, and triple co-infection.

Tuberculosis (TB)-related death has increased for the first time in a decade due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), globally. People living with HIV (PLWHIV) might be at a higher risk of developing COVID-19-related complications. Herein, we describe the first case of a patient surviving from SARS-CoV-2-TB-HIV triple co-infection in Cameroon.

Histoplasmosis overlapping with HIV and tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa: challenges and research priorities.

Histoplasmosis, tuberculosis and HIV are all highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Co-occurrence of two or more of these infections has been reported in several populations of patients, especially those with advanced HIV infection where these opportunistic infections contribute to a significant morbidity and mortality. With a high burden of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) secondary to HIV in SSA, histoplasmosis is commonly misdiagnosed as smear-negative PTB in HIV patients due to similar clinical and radiological presentations.