Parasitic infections in HIV patients in Austria: first results of a long-term study

In the course of a long-term study of parasitic infections among HIV-infected persons in Austria during the period from November 1985 until May 1989, 618 persons infected with HIV (including 270 hospitalized patients, most of them with severe symptoms of AIDS) were examined. 58% of all persons had antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii. The incidence of clinically overt toxoplasmosis was about 20% in the 167 hospitalized persons infected with the parasite. In 29% of 68 patients with suspected pneumocystosis, the infection could be verified. In 9% of 219 patients, Cryptosporidium sp. was found. In two persons, an infection with Strongyloides stercoralis was diagnosed. Except these AIDS-associated opportunistic infections, the incidence of parasitic infections in the Austrian HIV-infected population was found to be low, and, except for Entamoeba histolytica, not significantly exceeding the frequency of parasitic infections in non-HIV-infected Austrians. Compared to data on the frequency of opportunistic infections in AIDS-patients in other developed countries, toxoplasmosis as well as infections with Cryptosporidium sp. seem to be more often diagnosed in Austria, whereas pneumocystosis is slightly less frequently found.