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Enteric pathogens in postmortem tissue of pediatric HIV patients.

Ramos AG, Wu TC, Saavedra JM, Bobo LD, Livingston RA, Perman JA, Yolken RH; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12; 10: 259 (abstract no. PB0464).

Dept. of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

There is limited data on the cause of failure to thrive (FTT) and chronic diarrhea in pediatric HIV. Previous studies on stool have failed to demonstrate a significant pathogen in children. Autopsy studies may provide the links to the etiology of gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: We undertook the present study to search for enteric pathogens, specifically cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Herpes simplex virus 1 & 2 (HSV), in postmortem GI tissue of pediatric HIV patients who had FTT or chronic diarrhea in whom microbiologic tests on stool failed to identify a pathogen. METHODS: The immunohistochemical (IHC) technique was employed in all samples while in situ hybridization was done in selected cases. RESULTS: All 8 pediatric HIV patients who died at our institution from 1986 to 1993 had GI-related symptoms prior to death. Ages ranged from 4 1/2 mos. to 14 yrs. Enteropathogens were detected in 4/8 (50%); 2 with CMV, 1 with HSV, 1 with both CMV and HSV. All of them had no focus of systemic infection with these pathogens. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the Herpesvirus family can be found in postmortem GI tissue of pediatric HIV patients who had chronic diarrhea and FTT using IHC when routine methods fail to detect any pathogen in stool. This virus may be a significant etiologic agent of GI dysfunction in pediatric HIV. These may be the basis of future controlled studies on the role of enteropathogens in the enteropathy of HIV disease.

Publication Types:
  • Meeting Abstracts
Keywords:
  • AIDS Vaccines
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • Autopsy
  • Child
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections
  • Diarrhea
  • Feces
  • HIV
  • HIV Antibodies
  • HIV Infections
  • HIV Seropositivity
  • Humans
  • Simplexvirus
Other ID:
  • 94369936
UI: 102208766

From Meeting Abstracts




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