and Pallav Gupta2
(1)
Department of Pathology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
(2)
Department of Histopathology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India
Fungal infections constitute the largest group of opportunistic infections, followed by others such as bacterial, viral, and parasitic. Majority of immunocompromised patients experience opportunistic infection by a single pathogen; however, at times some of these patients may have multiple infections with more than one pathogen(s) (Table 6.1).
Table 6.1
Multiple opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients
Case | First pathogen | Second pathogen | Site of first pathogen | Site of second pathogen | Cause of immunosuppression |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | M. tuberculosis | Aspergillus sp. | Subcutaneous tissue | Subcutaneous tissue | Steroids |
2 | H. zoster | Candida sp. | Esophagus | Esophagus | Renal transplant |
3 | CMV | Aspergillus sp. | Renal allograft | Renal allograft | Renal transplant |
4 | CMV | Aspergillus sp. | Stomach | Subcutaneous tissue (greater toe) | Renal transplant |
5 | CMV | PTLD | Stomach | Stomach | Renal transplant |
6 | CMV | Cryptosporidium | Esophagus | Duodenum | HIV |
7 | CMV | Cryptosporidium | Stomach | Stomach | HIV |
8 | Condyloma acuminatum | H. capsulatum | Vulvovaginal area | Cervical lymph nodes | SUHSIS |
9 | Aspergillus | Candida | Nasal polyp | Nasal polyp | Recurrent infection |
10 | Zygomycetes | Candida sp. | Paranasal sinus | Subcutaneous tissue | ALL |
11 | Zygomycetes | Candida sp. | Oral mucosa | Oral mucosa | ALL |
12 | Mucor | Candida sp. | Soft palate | Soft palate | Debilitating illness |
13 | Zygomycetes | Acanthamoeba | Brain | Brain | Herpes infection |
14 | Strongyloides | Candida sp. | Duodenum | Esophagus | Steroids |
15 | Strongyloides | Giardia | Duodenum | Duodenum | Steroids |
16 | Giardia | Candida sp. | Duodenum | Stomach | Renal transplant |
CMV Gastritis with Cryptosporidiosis Stomach in a HIV-Positive Patient
Fig. 6.1
(a–c) A 49-year-old male patient presented with 1-month history of epigastric discomfort, loose stools, painful perianal swelling, productive cough, marked loss of appetite, and loss of weight. Routine hematological and biochemical laboratory investigations were within normal limits. X-ray chest, USG abdomen, and CT scan were also not contributory. Upper GI endoscopy showed candidal esophagitis, distortion of gastric folds in the body, and the antrum with flat ulcerated lesions. Histopathological examination of endoscopic gastric biopsy showed marked architectural distortion and nuclear pleomorphism of gastric glands. On this endoscopic biopsy, histopathological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma stomach was offered. Gastrectomy was performed. The gastrectomy specimen showed a 5 × 3 × 1.5 cm growth, 3 cm distal to resected antral region. The overlying mucosa was flattened with focal areas of congestion and ulceration. Histological examination showed ulcerated gastric mucosa. The gastric glands adjacent to the ulcerated areas showed disorganization and stratification suggestive of psuedoadenomatous hyperplasia along with reactive atypia of lining epithelial cells of gastric mucosa. The gastric mucosa also showed CMV gastritis along with concomitant infestation by Cryptosporidium as another opportunistic infection. On subsequent investigations the patient was found to be HIV positive (a HE ×400, b IHC for CMV ×400 and c HE ×1000) (Contributor: Prof Harsh Mohan, Head of Department Pathology, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, India)