DISSEMINATED HISTOPLASMOSIS IN AIDS - 3 OBSERVATIONS

The authors report three cases of disseminated histoplasmosis due to Histoplasma capsulatum, revealing or complicating AIDS. Histoplasmosis, an imported disease, ranks as the third opportunistic mycosis in AIDS. Patients with this condition are classified in the group IV C1 of the CDC of Atlanta. The clinical manifestations are non specific and can mimic that of other opportunistic infections and can even be confounded with that of a lymphoma. Isolation of H. capsulatum from blood samples, bone marrow or tissue biopsy confirms the diagnosis, Initial treatment is most commonly based on the use of amphotericin B; a long term therapy is necessary owing to the high rate of recurrences.