A clinical and pathological comparison of the WHO and CDC case definitions for AIDS in Kinshasa, Zaïre: is passive surveillance valid?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the specificity of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definitions for AIDS in autopsy cases from Zaïre. SETTING: Mama Yemo Hospital and University Hospital morgues in Kinshasa, and Karawa Hospital in Equateur Region, Zaïre. METHODS: Autopsy cases with a clinical diagnosis of AIDS on the death certificate or chart were studied. Evaluation included post-mortem HIV-1 serology, chart review for specific AIDS-related symptoms and signs, and application of WHO and CDC case criteria to the clinical and autopsy diagnoses. RESULTS: Of the 68 diagnosed AIDS cases, 98% fulfilled WHO criteria for AIDS and 93% fulfilled both WHO and CDC criteria. All cases fulfilling both criteria were HIV-1-seropositive. Opportunistic infections accounted for 84% of CDC AIDS-defining conditions. Disseminated tuberculosis was the most frequent (41%) specific diagnosis; Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was rare (< 2%). CONCLUSIONS: There was good concordance between WHO and CDC case definitions. A diagnosis of AIDS on the chart or death certificate is adequate for surveillance purposes in this population.

Mycoplasma fermentans (incognitus strain) infection in the kidneys of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and associated nephropathy: a light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study.

We studied renal tissues from 203 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Of the 203 patients, 20 showed light-microscopic changes characteristic of AIDS-associated nephropathy (AAN). Fifteen of the 20 (group A) were examined by immunohistochemistry using Mycoplasma fermentans (incognitus strain)-specific monoclonal antibodies and electron microscopy. Renal tissues from all 15 AAN patients showed positive staining for the incognitus strain mycoplasmal antigens within glomerular endothelial and epithelial cells, glomerular basement membrane, tubular epithelial cells and casts, and mononuclear interstitial cells. Ultrastructural study of these 15 cases revealed mycoplasma-like structures in various locations including glomerular epithelial and endothelial cells, glomerular basement membrane, tubular epithelial cells and casts, and mononuclear interstitial cells. In a parallel study, renal tissues from 15 patients with AIDS with essentially normal renal histology or mild interstitial mononuclear cell infiltration (group B) were also examined. These tissues showed no evidence of incognitus strain mycoplasmal infection in renal parenchymal cells; however, occasional scattered mononuclear interstitial cells were positive for the antigens of this organism. Renal tissues from five patients dying with non-AIDS diseases (group C) showed no staining for the incognitus strain antigens in any location. Therefore, infection of renal parenchymal cells by M fermentans (incognitus strain) in the kidneys of AIDS patients is apparently associated with AAN.

AIDS and the mycoses.

Profoundly immunoincompetent, patients with AIDS are vulnerable to myriad opportunistic bacterial, viral, protozoal, and fungal pathogens. Opportunistic infections in patients with AIDS are often severe, persistent, and relapsing despite appropriate therapy. Some infections are virtually untreatable. This article describes the mycotic complications in these patients.

Cutaneous histopathologic findings in 'antiphospholipid syndrome'. Correlation with disease, including human immunodeficiency virus disease.

The term antiphospholipid syndrome is used to characterize a complex of clinical and pathologic findings mediated by a group of antibodies formed against a family of antiphospholipids. These antiphospholipid antibodies were originally found in patients with lupus erythematosus in whom the partial thromboplastin time was prolonged and in patients with other autoimmune diseases; subsequently, they have been observed in association with a variety of other conditions, including infections, reactions to drugs, malignant neoplasms, human immunodeficiency virus disease, and as an isolated finding. In recent years, there has been some clarification of the significance of the various tests for antiphospholipid antibodies, including the lupus anticoagulant test and the anticardiolipin antibody tests, in predicting the antiphospholipid syndrome. The mechanism of disease, however, has not been well defined. The most common cutaneous lesion seen in seven patients with lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody who have the antiphospholipid syndrome was ulceration due to thrombosis of dermal veins and arteries. Often there is a reactive vascular proliferation around the thrombosed vessels. The presence of primary thrombosis of both veins and arteries in thrombotic disorders is unusual and may provide insight into the mechanism of thrombosis in antiphospholipid syndrome.

Cutaneous histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and clinical manifestations in patients with hemophagocytic syndrome. Military Medical Consortium for Applied Retroviral Research (MMCARR).

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: The hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is characterized by fever, wasting, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia, often with associated coagulopathy. The most common cutaneous manifestations are panniculitis and purpura. Cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis fits within the spectrum of HPS, and the most consistent histopathologic feature in HPS is a proliferation of mature histiocytes that exhibit prominent erythrophagocytosis and cytophagocytosis. The clinical spectrum, the underlying causes, and the histopathologic features found in HPS are broad. The characteristic phagocytic histiocytes seen in HPS have been confused with malignant histiocytes in the past, but are now known to be reactive. The clinical findings, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of 10 cases of HPS with cutaneous lesions were reviewed. Immunohistochemical markers included KP-1, beta F-1, UCHL-1, L-26, MAC-387, factor XIIIa, and S100 protein. RESULTS: The HPS was associated with T-cell lymphoma and/or viral infection. Most biopsy specimens showed edema and hemorrhage with a lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and prominent histiocytic cells showing erythrophagocytosis and, in some cases, cytophagocytosis. The histiocytic cells showed positive reactions for KP-1 and negative reactions for the lymphoid markers. In all cases the lymphoid cells showed a mixed pattern with most cells positive for beta F-1 and UCHL-1, and a small percentage positive for L-26. CONCLUSION: In HPS, the prominent phagocytic histiocytes are reactive and are stimulated by T-cell lymphocytes, either neoplastic or in response to viral infection. Many of the findings in the HPS may also be due directly or indirectly to cytokines produced by proliferating T-cell lymphocytes and/or reactive phagocytic histiocytes.

Histopathologic features of HIV-associated skin disease.

The cutaneous lesions that occur in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus are often more severe than those in normal individuals. Of great importance is the fact that many common disorders may show atypical clinical and histologic features, which can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed or inadequate therapy. Therefore, knowledge of pitfalls combined with adequate biopsy and thorough histologic evaluation give the greatest chances of successful diagnosis and treatment.

Disseminated microsporidiosis (Encephalitozoon hellem) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Autopsy evidence for respiratory acquisition.

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular protozoal parasites that infect a variety of cell types in a broad range of invertebrates and vertebrates. They have recently come to medical attention due to the increased frequency with which members of two microsporidian genera, Enterocytozoon and Encephalitozoon, are being diagnosed in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The majority of published reports of human microsporidiosis describe Enterocytozoon infection of small intestinal enterocytes. In addition, a growing number of AIDS patients have been identified with infection due to the two species of Encephalitozoon-Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon hellem, observed in conjunctival, corneal, and, recently, sinonasal tissues. However, there are scant data regarding the systemic pathology and epidemiology of these infections. This article describes a patient with AIDS who died with systemic Encephalitozoon infection. The etiologic microsporidian was found to be E hellem by using antemortem biochemical and antigenic analyses. A complete autopsy, the first to be reported in a patient with this infection, revealed organisms in the eyes, urinary tract, and respiratory tract. A surprising observation was the occurrence of numerous organisms within the lining epithelium of almost the entire length of the tracheobronchial tree, suggestive of respiratory acquisition. Detailed light and electron microscopic findings and the biological and diagnostic features of microsporidiosis are discussed.

Pneumocystis carinii infection in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic has focused attention on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Of special significance are the following key issues. (1) PCP in the AIDS patient can be clinically different than in the non-AIDS patient. (2) The morphologic expressions of PCP in both AIDS and non-AIDS patients are considerably more diverse than previously believed. (3) Rapid diagnostic methods that unequivocally demonstrate the PC microorganisms in the tissue and secretions are crucial to patient care. The clinical manifestations of PCP overlap with those of other pulmonary disorders so that its diagnosis requires at least bronchoscopy, if not an open lung biopsy. In biopsy specimens, typical and atypical histologic features allow the recognition of PCP under microscopic examination. The sensitivities of transbronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage are comparable, and their combination offers the greatest diagnostic yield. This article discusses the clinical and pathologic features of PCP in the AIDS patient, and explores the advantages and pitfalls of the various diagnostic methods for the identification of PC.

Granulomatous Pneumocystis carinii in AIDS patients.

Seven cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with granulomatous reaction in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus are described. The patients were all adult men between the ages of 32 and 45 years, with different high-risk factors. Clinically, all the patients presented with a history of non-productive cough and shortness of breath. Two of the patients had a past history of pulmonary pneumocystosis. Radiologically, six patients had diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and one nodular pulmonary infiltrate. Transbronchial lung biopsies were obtained in four patients and open lung biopsies in three. All presented a predominant granulomatous reaction composed of epithelioid and multinucleated giant cells. Several other special stains to detect the presence of other microorganisms to account for the granulomatous reaction were negative.

Changes of verruciform xanthoma in an HIV-1+ patient with diffuse psoriasiform skin disease.

Verruciform xanthoma occurs most commonly in the oral mucosa; however, rare cutaneous lesions have been described. Although the pathogenesis of this entity is not known, dysregulation of epithelial proliferation and degenerative changes in the epithelium may explain the occurrence of this lesion in association with inflammatory dermatoses, epithelial hamartomas, and epithelial dysplasia. We report an HIV-1+ patient with diffuse psoriasiform skin lesions that showed histologic changes of verruciform xanthoma.