Recent trends in the spectrum of opportunistic infections in human immunodeficiency virus infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy in South India.

BACKGROUND: Opportunistic infections (OI) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals. The pattern of OIs differs widely, hence it is necessary to correlate spectrum of OIs and CD4 counts among HIV infected individuals in specific localities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study describes the clinical and laboratory profiles of different OIs among 55 HIV seropositive patients. CD4 count was estimated and antiretroviral therapy (ART) was started in 27 patients as per National Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Control Organization guidelines. These 27 patients were classified into stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 based on CD4 counts of >500 cells/µl, 200-499 cells/µl and <200 cells/µl respectively. The OIs presented by respective groups were documented. RESULTS: Pulmonary tuberculosis was found to be the most common OI constituting 43.6% of all cases followed by candidiasis (30.9%), cryptosporidial diarrhea (21.8%), herpes zoster (16.3%), cryptococcal meningitis (3.63%), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (1.81%), and other miscellaneous infections (23.6%). Only 1 patient was found in stage I while 13 patients each were grouped in stage II or stage III. The mean CD4 count in our study population who were on ART was 230 ± 150 cells/µl. CONCLUSION: The pattern of OIs among our study group did not differ significantly from patients not receiving ART. The effect of ART on CD4 count differs from patient to patient based on the degree of depletion of CD4 count before the initiation of ART, drug adherence, concomitant OIs and their treatment.

Protean clinical manifestations and diagnostic challenges of human brucellosis in adults: 16 years' experience in an endemic area.

A prospective study was carried out to elucidate the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory features of human brucellosis. A total of 26 948 blood samples (from adults aged 15 years and above) were screened for serological evidence of brucellosis over a period of 16 years. The slide agglutination/Rose Bengal plate agglutination test gave positive results in 517 patients, of which 509 had detectable titres by the standard tube agglutination test (SAT). The diagnosis of brucellosis was documented in 495 (1.8 %) patients based on diagnostic titres (> or = 1 : 160, 490 cases) and rising titres from insignificant titres (four cases) by serology and for one case by blood-culture isolation alone. Blood cultures were carried out in 345 cases, of which 191 cases (55.3 %) yielded Brucella melitensis. In 77/79 cases undertaken for follow up, there was a steady fall in 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) agglutination titres along with clinical improvement (P < 0.01). SAT titres remained detectable in most cases for a longer period in spite of an effective antimicrobial therapy and clinical recovery. A substantial number of patients (84.2 %) presented with fever, this being the only complaint in 51.1 % of the cases. Complications were present in 8.8 % of the patients (arthritis excluded): this included the unusual complications of hydrocele (two cases), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (one case) and urinary tract infection (one case). Brucella agglutinins were demonstrated in synovial, testicular, hydrocele and cerebrospinal fluids. There was no clinical suspicion of brucellosis in 439 cases (88.7 %) and the diagnosis was made only by routine serology. A two-drug regimen for 42-84 days with a follow-up 2ME test resulted in lower levels of relapse. These results suggest that, in endemic areas of the world, it should be mandatory to screen routinely for brucellosis due to protean clinical manifestations.