Secondary leprosy infection in a patient with psoriasis during treatment with infliximab.

Tumor necrosis factor α antagonists are proven to be effective for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis. A major concern for patients is the risk of acquiring granulomatous infectious diseases caused by the immunosuppressive effects of the drugs. We report a 60-year-old man with psoriasis who underwent infliximab treatment for 2 years and developed secondary leprosy, presenting extensive erythematous and infiltrated plaques on the trunk and limbs with loss of sensitivity (thermal, pain and tactile). The skin lesion biopsy showed perivascular epithelioid granulomas, nodular dermal aggregates of foamy macrophages and bundles of acid-fast bacilli. The clinical picture associated with histopathologic evaluation suggested borderline lepromatous leprosy. Before infliximab treatment, the patient had a positive tuberculin skin test and underwent chemoprophylaxis treatment for latent tuberculosis. Although the tuberculin reactivity suggests a strong correlation with a latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the possibility of infections by other mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium leprae, should not be discarded.

[Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections of the lung]. / Atypische Mykobakteriose der Lunge.

Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) species are mycobacterial species other than those belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and M. leprae. NTM are generally free-living organisms that are ubiquitous in the environment. Pulmonary disease, especially in older persons with and without underlying lung disease, is caused primarily by M. avium complex (MAC) and M. kansasii. The symptoms and signs of MAC lung disease are variable and not specific, but include cough, malaise, weakness, dyspnoea, chest discomfort and occasionally hemoptoe. Two major clinical presentations include disease in those with underlying lung disease, primarily white, middle-aged or elderly men - often alcoholics and/or smokers with underlying chronic obstructive lung disease, patients in whom MAC develops in areas of prior bronchiectasis, and patients with cystic fibrosis; and those without known underlying lung disease, including non-smoking women over age 50 who have interstitial patterns on chest radiography. M. kansasii infections are endemic in cities with infected tap water. Symptoms of the M. kansasii lung disease resemble to tuberculosis. M. abszessus is the most pathogenic rapid growing Mycobacterium which causes pulmonary infection. The American Thoracic Society and Infectious Disease Society of America's diagnostic criteria for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections include both imaging studies consistent with pulmonary disease and recurrent isolation of mycobacteria from sputum or isolated from at least one bronchial wash in a symptomatic patient. For treatment of MAC lung disease we recommend depending on severity and susceptibility testing a three to four drug treatment with a macrolide, rifampicin and ethambutol and for M. kansasii a treatment with Isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol. Surgical management only plays a role in rare and special cases. Treatment should be continued until sputum cultures are consecutively negative for at least one year.

HIV and tuberculosis: partners in crime.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is the commonest infection detected in HIV-infected individuals worldwide. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, bacteriologic and radiological spectrum of tuberculosis (TB) in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in a tertiary care centre in Mumbai. METHODS: A total of 8640 HIV-infected individuals were screened for tuberculosis routinely from January 1998 to December 2003, using clinical examination, chest X-ray and abdominal ultrasonography, sputum smears for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. RESULTS: TB was detected in 8078 (93.5%) patients of whom 3393 (42%) had pulmonary, 3514 (43.5%) had extrapulmonary TB and 1171 (14.5%) had disseminated disease. One thousand two hundred thirty eight patients (36.5%) showed AFB in sputum, while 1154 (34%) showed growth on culture medium and 4174 had radiographic involvement. In 781 (67%) individuals disseminated disease coexisted with pulmonary involvement. All 8078 coinfected patients were treated with anti-TB therapy (ATT), of whom 6422 patients (79.5%) showed one or more adverse events. Gastritis was the commonest complaint followed by hepatitis and skin rashes. ATT resistance was detected in 482 individuals. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis is the commonest opportunistic infection (OI) in HIV positive patients in India, showing a higher prevalence of extrapulmonary and disseminated TB and adverse events due to ATT. Early recognition of concurrent OIs and their adequate treatment and prophylaxis is essential.

Integrated complex combinations for the treatment of opportunistic infections in AIDS.

In the present paper the 'serial combinations' (components of the combination offered separately), as used in conventional combination therapy, are compared with the 'integrated complex combination' (offered as fixed combinations). So far, three combinations have been worked out on the basis of this concept (RMP + SMZ + TMP + INH; RMP + SMZ + TMP + PTH; RMP + INH + PTH + DDS). They allow successful treatment of almost all mycobacterial infections and diseases (including tuberculosis and leprosy) and a number of infections caused by gram-negative and gram-positive microorganisms and by Pneumocystis carinii.