First case report of fulminant septic shock from meningococcemia associated with Cryptococcus neoformans coinfection in an immunocompetent patient.

The meningococcal disease manifestation associated with the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans is rare. There are no reports in the literature about these simultaneous infections in immunocompetent patients. The aim of the present study is to describe the first case of fulminant septic shock by Neisseira meningitidis associated with Cryptococcus neoformans coinfection in an immunocompetent patient. We describe a case of an immunocompetent 74-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with fulminant acute meningococcemia associated with cryptococcal meningitis, which progressed to worsening general condition and died of septic shock and multiple organ dysfunctions in less than 48 hours. This case report demonstrates the possibility of coinfections related to Neisseria meningitidis and Cryptococcus neoformans, even in immunocompetent patients, which represent a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, thus encouraging further studies for a better understanding.

Manifestações dermatológicas em pacientes infectados pelo HIV: um estudo de prevalência / Dermatological manifestations in HIV-infected patients: a prevalence study

Na infecção pelo HIV, a pele pode ser tanto um indicador precoce de doença quanto de gravidade. Este estudo analisou a frequência e a apresentação clínica de manifestações dermatológicas em pacientes portadores de HIV, destacando as lesões mais encontradas, e correlacionou suas características com o estado imunológico. Foram encontradas 129 lesões mucocutâneas dentre os 57 pacientes portadores de HIV examinados, havendo em média 2,25 lesões por paciente. As dermatoses mais comuns, em ordem decrescente de frequência, foram candidíase oral, onicomicose e dermatite seborreica. As lesões oportunistas mostraram relação significativa com deficiência imunológica, e as afecções de pele mais encontradas mostraram-se bons indicadores do estado imunológico do paciente e da progressão da doença.

In the HIV infection the skin can be either an early indicator of disease and severity. This study examined the frequency and clinical presentation of skin manifestations in patients with HIV, highlighting the most frequent injuries, and correlated their characteristics with the immune status. We found 129 mucocutaneous lesions among 57 patients with HIV, with an average of 2.25 lesions per patient. The most common skin diseases in descending order of frequency were oral candidiasis, onychomycosis and seborrheic dermatitis. Opportunistic lesions showed significant relationship with immune deficiency and the most frequent skin diseases proved to be good indicators of the immune status of the patient and disease progression.