Multiple simultaneous infections in a patient with well-controlled HIV: when Occam's razor fails

Multiple concurrent infectious processes have previously been reported in the context of advanced HIV with significant immunosuppression. Here we report a case of multiple infections in a 56-year-old man with well-controlled HIV diagnosed 5 years earlier. Soon after returning to Australia following 12 years living in Thailand, he became unwell with fevers, night sweats, arthralgia and myalgia. There were no localising symptoms and examination was unremarkable. Investigations revealed positive syphilis (Treponema pallidum) serology with an RPR of 16, a positive urine culture (Klebsiella pneumoniae), a pulmonary nodule, a liver abscess and colitis (Entamoeba histolytica). Recovery was only complete when all the individual infections were treated.