CASE STUDY OF A PATIENT WITH HIV-AIDS AND VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS CO-INFECTION IN MULTIPLE EPISODES

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Elis Dionisio da Silva, Luiz Dias de Andrade, Paulo Sergio Ramos de Araujo, Vera Magalhaes Silveira, Carlos Eduardo Padilha, Maria Almerice Lopes da Silva, Zulma Maria de Medeiros
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2013
• Subjects: Co-infection; Visceral leishmaniasis; HIV infection; AIDS; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652013000600010; https://doaj.org/article/7d3c18258a254f75bb09f37bccf0284a

SUMMARY Report of a 45-year-old male farmer, a resident in the forest zone of Pernambuco, who was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 1999 and treated using antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. In 2005, the first episode of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), as assessed by parasitological diagnosis of bone marrow aspirate, was recorded. When admitted to the hospital, the patient presented fever, hepatosplenomegaly, weight loss, and diarrhea. Since then, six additional episodes of VL occurred, with a frequency rate of one per year (2005-2012, except in 2008). In 2011, the patient presented a disseminated skin lesion caused by the amastigotes of Leishmania, as identified by histopathological assessment of skin biopsy samples. In 2005, he was treated with N-methyl-glucamine-antimony and amphotericin B deoxycholate. However, since 2006 because of a reported toxicity, the drug of choice was liposomal amphotericin B. As recommended by the Ministry of Health, this report emphasizes the need for HIV patients living in VL endemic areas to include this parasitosis in their follow-up protocol, particularly after the first infection of VL.