ABSTRACT
Toxoplasmosis can be a severe opportunistic infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and also among solid organ transplant and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients. Patients with low-grade or chronic hematologic malignancies are treated with increasing immunosuppressive regimens and, therefore, represent an emerging population at risk for opportunistic diseases. We report here two cases of disseminated toxoplasmosis occurring in non-allografted hematologic patients with chronic lymphoproliferations. A review of 44 cases from the literature reveals that toxoplasmosis occurs increasingly in indolent B cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Aggressive lymphoproliferations, adenosine analogs, autologous HSCT, and the absence of chemoprophylaxis are the main risk factors for opportunistic toxoplasmosis. The central nervous system is the main organ involved. Fever is only present in half of all cases. Latent Toxoplasma cysts reactivation (LTCR) is the most common, but primary infection occurs in about 20% of cases. Global mortality is over 50%.
Subject(s)
Hematologic Neoplasms/complications , Toxoplasma/isolation & purification , Toxoplasmosis/diagnosis , Toxoplasmosis/pathology , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Toxoplasmosis/parasitologySubject(s)
Cryptococcosis/complications , Myositis/microbiology , Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary/microbiology , Adult , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Sarcoidosis is a chronic disease characterised by the development and accumulation of granulomas in multiple organs. We report two observations of disseminated Mycobacterium genavense infection in patients with proven sarcoidosis. High fever and abdominal pain appeared at 8 and 18 months following the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy. Abdominal computed tomography scans of the patients showed diffuse mesenteric lymphadenitis and splenomegaly. The diagnosis was obtained on bone marrow specimens for both patients with numerous acid-fast bacteria at direct examination and positive specific mycobacterial identification by nucleic acid amplification test. Despite prompt antimycobacterial therapy, occurrence of complications (peritonitis post-splenectomy surgery and lung carcinoma) resulted in a fatal outcome for both patients. These cases highlight that opportunistic infections like M. genavense or other nontuberculous mycobacterial infections should be considered for long-standing immunocompromised patients with sarcoidosis.
