Disseminated Histoplasmosis and Tuberculosis in a Patient with HIV Infection

Histoplasmosis is a very rare disease in Korea. Clinical manifestations are very similar to those of tuberculosis. This is the first case report of combined disseminated histoplasmosis and tuberculosis in a patient with HIV infection in Korea. A 42-year-old Korean with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He had lived in Guatemala for the past five years. Upon diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis with HIV infection, he was treated with anti-tuberculosis medications and anti-retroviral agents. Fever, weakness, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia were persistent despite treatment. The patient's history of living in Guatemala caused us to seek opportunistic infectious organisms other than tuberculosis. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were performed and the result revealed numerous intracellular organisms consistent with Histoplasma capsulatum; therefore, the diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis was made.

Fasceíte necrotizante do tórax em pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca / Postoperative necrotizing fasciitis of the thorax in cardiac surgery

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare soft tissue infection and a life-threatening emergency, often fatal. Its incidence and management are described plentifully in the medical literature regarding the most common anatomical sites involved like the abdomen, lower and upper limbs, and perineum. However, available data and case reports of chest wall necrotizing fasciitis after thoracic procedures are scarce, mainly after major cardiac operations. We report and discuss a case of necrotizing fasciitis of the chest wall occurring in the immediate postoperative period of a cardiac procedure, and include a brief review of the concepts, pathophysiology, and treatment reported in the medical literature. We emphasize the need for early diagnosis and urgent and effective surgical debridement. Of importance is the fact that we have not found any references in the literature to cases similar or equal to the one we describe here, which occurred in the postoperative period of a cardiac procedure