Two unusual cases of histoplasmosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals.

Histoplasmosis, also called as Darling's disease, is caused by the dimorphic fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum. In India, several cases of histoplasmosis have been reported since 1954, but in only a few cases could the diagnosis be confirmed by fungal culture. Disseminated histoplasmosis in adults is often associated with immunosuppression, as in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Oral lesions are seen in 30-50% of the patients. Here, we are reporting two histoplasmosis cases, one with disseminated histoplasmosis with extensive skin and oral lesions in a known HIV-positive patient and the second case presenting with ulcer of the tongue, found to be HIV positive on investigation. It is important to consider histoplasmosis as one of the differential diagnosis of oral lesions in HIV-infected individuals.

Primary mucocutaneous histoplasmosis presents as oral ulcer .

We are reporting a rare case of primary mucocutaneous histoplasmosis. A 47-year-old male with a part-time job of rearing pigeons presented with a non-healing oral ulcer with no associated systemic symptoms. Differential diagnosis of oral ulcerative lichen planus, squamous cell carcinoma and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis was considered. Histopathology showed multiple organisms with a peripheral halo, stained strongly with Gomori methenamine silver stain.

[Dermatologic manifestations associated with immune reconstitution syndrome in HIV+ patients starting HAART: a retrospective study in French Guiana]. / Manifestations dermatologiques associées au syndrome de restauration immunitaire du patient VIH+ débutant un traitement antirétroviral: etude rétrospective en Guyane française.

Immune reconstitution syndrome (IRIS) is an unusual inflammatory reaction to an opportunistic infection in an HIV-positive patient. This syndrome occurs when immunity is restored in the first months of an effective highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). First, we described all patients with a cutaneous form of IRIS. Then, between 1992 and 2004 we conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing Herpes Zoster and Herpes Simplex infections among untreated patients, patients treated by HAART for < or = six months, and patients treated for > six months. We observed three cases of atypical leprosy and three original observations: two of these were fistulisation of lymph node histoplasmosis and tuberculosis, the third one reports the recurrence of a treated cutaneous leishmaniasis. Multivariate analysis showed that, after controlling for age, sex and CD4 counts, patients receiving HAART for < or = six months were more likely to develop Herpes Zoster or herpes simplex infections (p < 0.005). Herpes Simplex and Herpes Zoster infections are the two most frequent dermatological manifestations in our tropical setting. Although mycobacterial infections are more rarely observed than in visceral IRIS, the increased incidence of leprosy may be quite significant when the availability of HAART spreads to developing countries.