Acute meningoencephalomyelitis due to varicella-zoster virus in an AIDS patient: report of a case and review of the literature.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) meningoencephalomyelitis is a rare but severe neurological complication of VZV reactivation in immunocompromised patients. We report the case of an HIV-infected individual who developed an acute and severe meningoencephalomyelitis accompanied by a disseminated cutaneous eruption due to VZV. The presence of VZV DNA in cerebrospinal fluid was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.

[Infection due to Strongyloides stercoralis: epidemiological, clinical, diagnosis findings and outcome in 30 patients].

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode parasite, which is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. Infection usually remains asymptomatic, but in immunocompromised hosts severe and life-threatening manifestations such as hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated disease might occur.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological and clinical characteristics, including HIV co-infection, microbiological findings, and outcome in 30 patients with strongyloidiasis, who attended in the Infectious Diseases F.

Human herpesvirus 6: report of emerging pathogen in five patients with HIV/AIDS and review of the literature.

The reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in patients with AIDS can result in an acute and severe diffuse meningoencephalitis. We describe the epidemiological, clinical and outcome findings of five patients with diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and central nervous system involvement (CNS) due to HHV-6. Fever was present in all the patients.

[Cavitary pneumonia in an AIDS patient with cryptococcosis].

Pulmonary cryptococcosis is an unusual fungal infection that is most often found in AIDS or in organ transplant recipients. Although in immunocompromised patients, cryptococcal infection often causes pulmonary infections, the diagnosis of lung involvement is generally difficult. The presentation of pulmonary cryptoccosis in HIV-infected patients appears to be more acute and severe than in other immunocompromised patients, probably related with the severe immunosuppression.

Primary liver AIDS-related lympoma.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are the second most frequent malignancies in AIDS patients. The majority of NHL associated with AIDS involves extranodal sites, especially the digestive tract and the central nervous system. Primary liver lymphoma (PLL) is an uncommon neoplasm among these patients.

Primary pulmonary AIDS-related lymphoma.

Extranodal involvement is common in lymphomas associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, primary pulmonary AIDS-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very rare and only few reports were published in the medical literature. Clinical presentation is nonspecific, with "B" and respiratory symptoms.

[Primary central nervous system lymphomas in AIDS patients].

Introduction: Primary lymphoma is the most common neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS) in AIDS patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, neuroimaging findings, diagnostic methods used, histological characteristics, detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA by PCR in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain smears, and outcome of 18 HIV/AIDS patients with primary CNS lymphoma.

Results: The overall incidence of primary CNS lymphoma was 2.