Tumor-like herpes simplex infection in an HIV patient

Abstract A 56-year-old male, HIV-positive, presented with a 3-day history of multiple indurated erythematous nodules with superficial and well-defined erosions on his right gluteus. Skin biopsy showed ballooning-necrotic keratinocytes and cultures were positive for herpes simplex 2. Genital herpes simplex infection recurrences may not be restricted to the anterior part of the genitalia and clinical presentation in the lumbar area or gluteus must be differentiated from varicella-zoster virus infection. Tumor-like presentation is a very rare manifestation of HSV cutaneous infection. It is important to take this morphological variant into consideration not to delay the diagnosis of a viral infection, especially in an immunosuppressed patient.

Tumor-like herpes simplex infection in an HIV patient.

A 56-year-old male, HIV-positive, presented with a 3-day history of multiple indurated erythematous nodules with superficial and well-defined erosions on his right gluteus. Skin biopsy showed ballooning-necrotic keratinocytes and cultures were positive for herpes simplex 2. Genital herpes simplex infection recurrences may not be restricted to the anterior part of the genitalia and clinical presentation in the lumbar area or gluteus must be differentiated from varicella-zoster virus infection. Tumor-like presentation is a very rare manifestation of HSV cutaneous infection. It is important to take this morphological variant into consideration not to delay the diagnosis of a viral infection, especially in an immunosuppressed patient.

Cutaneous infiltration by T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia in two adult patients. / Infiltración cutánea por leucemia prolinfocítica T en dos pacientes adultos.

BACKGROUND: T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that frequently involves the skin. The objective was to describe two cases of T-PLL with cutaneous involvement and to present a review of the literature concerning the clinical characteristics, differential diagnosis and treatment of these patients. CASE REPORTS: 1) 79 year-old man, with a previous diagnosis of T-PLL based on a laboratory incidental finding. He had been treated with alemtuzumab, but it had to be interrupted due to recurrent infections. After interrupting the treatment, the patient developed a symmetrical rash on his extremities. The skin biopsy demonstrated TPLL infiltration. 2) 28 year-old man that presented with asthenia and lymphocytosis. He also showed a purpuric rash on his trunk and facial erythema. Histopathology of the skin and bone marrow confirmed the diagnosis of T-PLL with cutaneous involvement. CONCLUSIONS: T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia accounts for 2% of mature leukemias in adults. Skin involvement is reported in 20-50% of the patients. The characteristic features are facial involvement, purpuric lesions and symmetry of the rash, although there are atypical manifestations as well. Differential diagnosis includes other T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders with hematologic and skin involvement, such as Sézary syndrome. Patients with T-PLL may show cutaneous infiltration at the moment of debut or relapse of the disease. The skin is an accessible organ for taking samples to study and diagnose these patients.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La leucemia prolinfocítica T (LPL-T) es una neoplasia hematológica del grupo de síndromes linfoproliferativos T que con frecuencia produce infiltración cutánea. Se presentan dos casos de LPL-T con afectación cutánea y se revisa la literatura en cuanto a características clínicas, diagnóstico diferencial y tratamiento de estos pacientes. CASOS CLÍNICOS: 1) Varón de 79 años diagnosticado de LPL-T tras un hallazgo analítico incidental. Tras suspender el tratamiento con alemtuzumab por infecciones recurrentes, comenzó con lesiones cutáneas maculopapulosas eritematopurpúricas que afectaban la raíz de las extremidades. La biopsia cutánea confirmó la infiltración por su enfermedad de base. 2) Varón de 28 años que debutó con astenia y hallazgos analíticos de leucocitosis. Había comenzado además con lesiones purpúricas en el tronco y eritema malar bilateral. El estudio de médula ósea y la biopsia cutánea confirmaron el diagnóstico de LPL-T con infiltración cutánea. CONCLUSIONES: La LPL-T corresponde al 2% de las leucemias linfocíticas maduras en los adultos. Entre el 20% y el 50% de los pacientes presentan afectación cutánea, con predominio en la región facial, y son característicos el eritema, la púrpura y la simetría, aunque existen manifestaciones atípicas. El diagnóstico diferencial incluye otros síndromes linfoproliferativos T con afectación cutánea y en sangre periférica, entre los que destaca el síndrome de Sézary. Los pacientes con LPL-T pueden presentar afectación cutánea en el debut o en una recidiva de la enfermedad. La piel representa un órgano accesible para la toma de muestras y para el diagnóstico y el estudio de estos pacientes.

Pénfigo: análisis clínico y serológico en 26 pacientes / Pemphigus: clinical and serological analysis in 26 patients

En la actualidad, para diagnosticar pénfigo, es necesaria una clínica con ampollas y erosiones, histopatología con acantólisis y detección de anticuerpos en la piel afectada (inmunofluorescencia directa) o en sangre circulante (inmunofluorescencia indirecta). Objetivos: Los objetivos del trabajo son comparar la sensibilidad y especificidad de estas dos últimas técnicas y demostrar si existe relación de los niveles de ELISA frente a desmogleínas con elgrado de afectación cutáneo-mucoso. Material y métodos: Se obtuvieron 117 determinaciones en 26 pacientes con pénfigo y 29 determinaciones en pacientes con otras enfermedades ampollosas como grupo control. Medimos anticuerpos antisustancia intercelular por inmunofluorescencia indirecta y anticuerpos antidesmogleína 1 y 3 por ELISA. También se midieron las cifras de anticuerpos antes y después de terapias como las inmunoglobulinas intravenosas y plasmaféresis. Resultados: La determinación de anticuerpos por ELISA frentea desmogleínas 1 y 3 es más sensible que la inmunofluorescencia indirecta. No encontramos diferencias en cuanto a especificidad. Los niveles de anticuerpos son paralelos a la actividad clínica. Estos niveles no descienden inmediatamente tras la terapia con inmunoglobulinas intravenosas.

Nowadays diagnostic criteria of pemphigus include:clinical presentation with blisters and erosions, acantholisison the conventional histopathological examinationand detection of antibodies on affected skin (directimmunofluorescence) or serum (indirect immunofluorescence). Objective: The aims of this study are to compare sensibility and specificity between the ELISA method and the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF)and to investigate a possible correlation between desmoglein titers (detected by ELISA) and clinical severity. Materials and methods: 26 patients with pemphigus were included in the study. The control group included 29patients with other bullous diseases. In every patient, antiintercellular substance antibodies were detected by the indirect immunofluorescence test while anti-desmoglein1 and 3 antibodies were titered by ELISA. In addition, titers of antibodies were measured before and aftertherapy with intravenous immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis. 117 determinations were obtained frompatients with pemphigus and 29 from the control group.Results: ELISA detection of antibodies against desmoglein1 and desmoglein 3 is a more sensitive method than the indirect immunofluorescence test. No difference inspecificity has been found. There is a positive correlation between titers of antibodies and clinical activity. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy does not induceimmediate tapering of antibody titers.