[Acute necrotizing myelitis in an AIDS patient]

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Marcelo Corti1, Isabel Soto, María F Villafañe

  • 1Unidad 10, Laboratorio de Virología y Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Infecciosas Francisco J. Muñiz, Buenos Aires, Argentina. marcelocorti@ciudad.com.ar

Medicina
|June 10, 2003
PubMed

In the setting of HIV infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1-2 (HSV 1-2) can affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems. These agents can involve the spinal cord and produce a necrotizing transverse myelitis. This usually occurs in AIDS patients with severe immunodeficiency: CD4+ lymphocyte counts typically are less than 50 cell/microL. The clinical presentation, CSF and imaging studies can provide a high level of suspicion diagnosis. Prompt initiation of antiviral specific drugs is essential. We report a patient with an acute necrotizing myelitis (cauda equina syndrome) secondary to CMV and HSV infections.

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