ABSTRACT
Between 1998 and 2001, several cases of ataxia and paresis followed by recumbency and death were reported in cows from different farms in a restricted area of the Argentinian Patagonia. Five cases of this cluster were studied and a diagnosis of malignant schwannoma was established. Electron microscopy (em) of tumour samples from three of the animals revealed intracytoplasmic or interstitial structures resembling retroviral particles. Attempts to isolate a viral agent from the tumours were unsuccessful but the epidemiological data and the em findings suggest a viral aetiology.
Subject(s)
Cattle Diseases/pathology , Neurilemmoma/veterinary , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/veterinary , Animals , Argentina , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/virology , Female , Microscopy, Electron/veterinary , Neurilemmoma/pathology , Neurilemmoma/ultrastructure , Neurilemmoma/virology , Retroviridae/ultrastructure , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/pathology , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/ultrastructure , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/virology , Spinal Nerve Roots/pathologyABSTRACT
Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is endemic throughout southern Africa. Neurologic complications are described in 20% to 60% of published series, mostly related to HIV-1 encephalopathy. With increasing HIV prevalence, more atypical cases are presenting. We present, as illustrative cases, seven children (three girls) with unusual neurologic sequelae as a consequence of HIV-1 infection. The median age at presentation was 33 months (range 7 months-6 years). Five of the seven children were developmentally normal before presentation. They presented with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, myelopathy, intractable seizures, acute vasculitis and blindness, hemiplegia, peripheral neuropathy, and paraspinal lymphoma. Neuroimaging of the brain was performed in five patients, of whom one had basal ganglia calcification. All children had poor outcome with incomplete recovery or continued deterioration. In conclusion, children with HIV-1 infection who survive beyond the first year of life can present with a wide variety of neurologic complications. A similar spectrum of neurologic manifestations is likely to occur in other sub-Saharan African countries, characterized by high HIV prevalence. The case histories demonstrate that the neurologic features of pediatric HIV infection do not easily fit into a simplified classification system.
