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Toxoplasmosis as an opportunistic infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a life-threatening condition. A review of the literature reveals over 140 cases of toxoplasmosis in AIDS victims, and there is sufficient clinical detail on 81 of these cases for in-depth evaluation. Toxoplasma infection in immunocompromised individuals generally affects the central nervous system and is the most common cause of focal brain lesions. Toxoplasmosis seems to be more frequent in AIDS patients in Africa than those from Europe or America. A clinical review of the 81 cases culled from the literature revealed deterioration in mental status in 42, neurological signs in 39, fever in 36, and persistent headache in 31. When human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with slowly evolving dementia and the preservation of consciousness, toxoplasmosis typically results in an acute deterioration in mental state. In AIDS, most cases of clinical toxoplasmosis result from an exacerbation of a chronic infection. Among the techniques that have been used to diagnose toxoplasmosis in AIDS patients are serology, cerebrospinal fluid samples, isolation of the parasite, radiology, and histology. Pyrimethamine plus a sulphonamide has been the traditional treatment for toxoplasma infection in AIDS patients and is associated with a greatly improved clinical state. Regardless of the drug therapy used, complete elimination of toxoplasma from viable cysts is unlikely and the subsequent emergence of trophozoites should be expected. A poor response to toxoplasmosis treatment is associated with failure to reach an early diagnosis, late initiation of drug therapy, and the lack of contrast enhancement of lesions detectable by computerized tomography.
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PMID:Toxoplasmosis and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. 328 Jun 90

In this discussion of infection control in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), attention is directed to nursing. Due to the fact that the majority of individuals who suffer with AIDS will be homosexual, intravenous drug users, or both, it is essential that the nurse historian be aware of his/her own feelings about the lifestyles of these patients. History-taking should be done in a nonjudgmental manner. A major pitfall to be avoided when taking a history is making assumptions about an individual's sexual preferences or activities based on the response to a simple question about marital status. It is important to note whether or not the person has a monogamous relationship or leads a polyandrous lifestyle. Another area that should be tactfully but explicitly explored when interviewing an individual who is homosexual or bisexual is the number of different sexual partners that he/she has been involved with on a weekly or monthly basis. Whether the patient has a history of sexually transmitted diseases should be determined. The use of recreational drugs should be explored. When taking the history of a client who uses intravenous drugs, it is important for the nurse to record the agents and sites of injection as well as to note whether the individual uses his/her own equipment. When reviewing the major body systems and the presence or absence of related symptoms, the nurse should note whether the client has experienced skin rashes/lesions, swollen lymph nodes, fever, extreme fatigue, weight loss, shortness of breath, changes in bowel habits, cuts or bruises that do not heal, and headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, or stiff neck. The physical examination of the individual with AIDS and an opportunistic infection usually will reveal positive findings in the central nervous system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, and/or the integumentary system, as well as the lymphatic system. As the leading cause of morbidity in the compromised host is infection, infection prevention should be regarded as a pragmatic necessity. 2 major things that nurses can do in the acute care setting to control infection are to limit the frequency of invasive or traumatic procedures and to reduce the acquisition of new potential pathogens.
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PMID:Infection control in the patient with AIDS. 608 77

A homosexual man with a history of sexually transmitted infections including recent giardiasis and high cytomegalovirus (CMV) titer was admitted with generalized weakness, headache, and depression. He rapidly became comatose and developed signs of increased intracranial pressure. CT scan revealed a right cerebral lesion. Pathologic examination disclosed an acute necrotizing granulomatous toxoplasmosis involving the cerebrum. This case represents an example of an opportunistic infection in a male homosexual associated with fulminant clinical course, probably on the basis of immune deficiency.
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PMID:Acute fulminant toxoplasma meningoencephalitis in a homosexual man. 661 39

A 71-year-old man who presented with toxoplasmic chorioretinitis and meningoencephalitis is reported. He had been healthy and immunologically normal. Initially, he complained of blurring of vision without headache, nor fever. Neurological examinations revealed papilledema, nuchal rigidity, and disorientation. Fluorescent angiography of the ocular fundi disclosed hyperfluorescent leaks suggesting chrioretinitis. His EEG had dysrhythmic slow alpha wave with some theta slowing. CSF studies showed pleocytosis up to 80/mm3; the cells were predominantly lymphocytes. The titers of toxoplasma antibody in the serum and CSF were prominently increased. Toxoplasmosis was highly suspected and he was treated with predinsolone, acetylspiramycin, and pyrimethamine. After the treatment, ophthalmologic and neurological symptoms improved, and the laboratory findings including the titers of toxoplasma antibody in the serum and CSF were also improved. Recently, toxoplasmosis associated with neurological complications as an opportunistic infection is a serious problem in the immunocompromised hosts, especially in AIDS, but this infection is rare in immunologically normal adults. Our case and some other reports may suggest a chance of developing toxoplasmic meningoencephalitis even in healthy individuals. We have to think of the possibility of toxoplasmosis in the immunocompetent hosts when they are presenting with chorioretinitis and meningoencephalitis.
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PMID:[A case of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis and meningoencephalitis in an immunocompetent adult]. 766 31

Opportunistic infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in immunocompromised patients often represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to the variety of possible infectious agents causing CNS disease. We report the case of a severely immunocompromised 43-year-old woman presenting with headache, confusion, abnormal CSF findings (cell count 237/mm3 with 50% eosinophils and elevated protein), multiple contrast enhancing lesions on CT and MRI in the basal ganglia, and serologic findings compatible with latent or reactivated toxoplasmosis with high IgA and IgG antibody titers against Toxoplasma gondii in whom a final diagnosis of CNS cryptococcosis was made. This case illustrates the considerable difficulties in the differential diagnosis of opportunistic CNS infection in the immunocompromised host. We conclude from our report that (1) the diagnosis of toxoplasma encephalitis should not be based on serological findings but rather be proven by either PCR, mouse inoculation or brain biopsy, (2) CNS cryptococcosis can be associated with marked CSF eosinophilia and multiple cryptococcomas, and (3) cryptococcomas can persist on CT and MRI despite successful antifungal treatment.
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PMID:An unusual case of central nervous system cryptococcosis. 778 68

The patient referred for liver transplantation typically has complications from a progressive, irreversible liver injury. Less traditional complications of end-stage liver disease, such as bone disease and some hepatobiliary malignancies, may also prompt referral. However, there are contraindications to liver transplantation, such as metastatic malignancy and persistent substance abuse. Each patient should be referred as early as possible. The evaluation process includes a complete physical examination and social and psychologic evaluations. If transplantation is agreed upon, the patient is listed by clinical status and enters a waiting period for a donor liver. Following transplantation, the patient is maintained on a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent allograft rejection. Each patient is also maintained on prophylactic medications, to decrease the risk of opportunistic infection. Many of the postoperative problems in liver transplantation are a result of immunosuppression, either as side effects of the medications used to prevent and control rejection or from the intensity of the resulting immunosuppression. These problems include headaches, systemic hypertension, acute and chronic allograft rejection, renal dysfunction, opportunistic infection with cytomegalovirus or Pneumocystis carinii, disease recurrence, and neoplasia. Routine, long-term care includes systematic clinical follow-up and repetitive blood tests. Communication among the transplant center, the patient, and the referring physician are essential to a successful outcome over the long term.
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PMID:Primary care management of the liver transplant patient. 810 82

A presumptive diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis was made in 73 of the 428 AIDS patients followed in the Bordeaux Regional Hospital between 1985 and 1990. The sex ratio (M:F) was 2.8:1. The mean age was 36.2 years. Forty-three percent were homosexuals, 30 percent intravenous drug abusers. The encephalitis revealed the HIV infection in 10 percent of the cases; it was the first opportunistic infection in 27 percent. The clinical manifestations were: focal neurologic deficit (62 percent), fever (58 percent), headaches (47 percent), altered consciousness (45 percent), seizures (18 percent). The CT scan findings were focal lesions with (60 percent) or without (40 percent) ring enhancement. Oedema was present in 58 percent of the lesions, and multiple lesions in 59 percent. At the time of diagnosis, the mean CD4 lymphocyte count was 72 per mm3. The initial therapeutic regimens were: pyrimethamine (P) plus sulfadiazine (n = 57), P plus clindamycin (n = 11) and P plus clarithromycin (n = 5). Following acute therapy the patients had a complete (64 percent) or partial (18 percent) response, and 18 percent died. Adverse reactions were noticed in 53 percent. Sixty patients received a maintenance therapy; after a mean follow-up of 8 months, 12 relapsed and died of toxoplasmic encephalitis; 17 died of another cause. The median survival after toxoplasmosis was diagnosed was 7.5 months.
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PMID:[Cerebral toxoplasmosis in AIDS. 73 cases. Clinical Epidemiology Group on AIDS in Aquitania]. 837 80

We have retrospectively reviewed 63 cases of encephalic toxoplasmosis (ET) in HIV-infected patients in order to determine clinical and radiological characteristics, the diagnostic value of serologic determinations, and the response to antioxoplasmic therapy. ET was the AIDS-defining condition in 44% of the patients. Eighty of the patients had a CD4 cell count < 100/microliters when ET was diagnosed. Only 4.8% of the patients had been taking anti-Pneumocytis carinii prophylaxis with cotrimoxazol. The most frequent clinical presentation was focal neurologic signs in 80.9% of the patients, with headache and fever in 53.3% and 42.4%, respectively. The most frequent cerebral CT finding was hipodense lesions (92%) with ring enhancement (68.9%). They were most frequently had a hemisferic location. Seroconversion was detected in two patients (6%), whereas 55 patients had serologic evidence of latent infection by Toxoplasma gondii (87.3%). Ninety eight percent of the patients were treated with sulphadiazine plus pyrimethamine. However, such therapy should be discontinued in 22% of them and switched to clindamycin plus pyrimethamine. The overall mortality rate during the acute phase of the disease was 7.9%, but 41.4% of the survivors exhibited neurologic sequelae. Relapsing ET was detected in 33.3% of the patients, and it was usually due to discontinuation of treatment. The mean survival time after the diagnosis of ET was 11.5 months. ET is the most common opportunistic infection of the central nervous system among our AIDS patients. Primary prophylaxis for toxoplasmic infection seems advisable in our epidemiologic environment, when CD4 cell count is less than 200/microliters and there is serologic evidence of latent infection. Acute ET usually has a good response to therapy, and the acute mortality rate is low. However, most of the survivors will remain with neurologic sequelae. The high frequency of adverse effects to sulphamide therapy with clindamycin make the need of alternative treatment strategies urgent.
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PMID:[Cerebral toxoplasmosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Clinico-radiological and therapeutic aspects in 63 patients]. 867 24

Zidovudine is approved for administration in doses given every 4 hours. Less frequent dosing has been used in many clinical trials, but the toxicity and efficacy of such regimens have not been formally compared with the approved regimen. In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, the safety, tolerance and efficacy of 600 mg of zidovudine given daily in two or six divided doses were compared. Three hundred and twenty patients with a CD4 lymphocyte count < 250 cells/mm3 (mean, 104 cells/mm3) or a prior AIDS-defining illness were treated with zidovudine 100 mg every 4 hours (regimen A) or 300 mg every 12 hours (regimen B). Eighty-eight patients (56%) and 94 patients (58%), assigned to regimens A and B, respectively, completed the planned 48 weeks of treatment. Serious anemia (hemoglobin < or = 7.5 g/dl) occurred in 13% and 7% of patients treated with regimens A and B, respectively (difference, 6%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2, 12%; p = .13). The mean duration of treatment and the frequency of neutropenia and symptomatic complaints including nausea and headache were similar in the two treatment groups. The number of patients experiencing a new opportunistic infection (18% versus 20% for regimens A and B, respectively), and the number of deaths (five in each group) did not differ significantly between groups. The effect of treatment on CD4 lymphocyte counts and HIV p24 antigenemia also was similar for both regimens. Zidovudine given at the more convenient dose of 300 mg twice daily has similar safety, and tolerance and appears to have similar efficacy to the currently approved regimen. Use of this regimen should help simplify the treatment of HIV disease.
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PMID:A comparative trial of zidovudine administered every four versus every twelve hours for the treatment of advanced HIV disease. 929 87

OBJECTIVE: To review the neurologic manifestations of AIDS in all children and adolescents who were seen by specialist doctors at 2 centers in Santos, Brazil, over the past 7 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Files of all patients aged 17 and under who were infected by HIV and admitted to 2 specialized AIDS centers between 1990 and 1997 were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 239 children and adolescents admitted to AIDS centers, 20 presented with a variety of neurologic complications, including focal motor signs, altered tonus, retarded neurodevelopment, cognitive disturbances, intractable headache, seizures, and coma. Opportunistic infections were the exception, an important difference from the adult population of the same area. CONCLUSION: Neurologic complications of AIDS in children and adolescents in the city of Santos, Brazil, were relatively unusual, found in less than 10% of this population. The neurologic involvement did not increase the mortality of these children and adolescents. These finding may be attributable to the quality of diagnoses, treatment, and follow-up of children infected with HIV by specialized professionals in adequate institutions.
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PMID:Neurologic Manifestations of AIDS in Children and Adolescents: A Review of Cases in Santos, Brazil. 1110 5


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