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[Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a child of Swiss origin whose mother died from AIDS]
Insights
This case report details a pediatric patient with chronic pneumonia and failure to thrive, diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The findings suggest a probable vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
- Virology
Background:
- A 2-year-old girl presented with chronic pneumonia, mucocutaneous candidiasis, diarrhea, failure to thrive, and paraplegia.
- Her mother was diagnosed with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and died shortly after, suggesting a potential link.
Abstract:
Report of a now 2 8/12-year-old girl, who presented at the age of 8 months with chronic progressive pneumonia, mucocutaneous candidiasis, diarrhea, failure to thrive and a non-progressive paraplegia. The child's mother presented AIDS with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and progressive general paralysis one year after the beginning of the child's disease and died within a few months. Additional findings in the child include lymphopenia, hyperimmunoglobulinemia, cutaneous anergy and an abnormal T helper/T suppressor cell ratio. HTLV-III antibodies were positive (ELISA and Western blot virus strip RIA). Prophylactic treatment with Co-trimoxazole relieved pulmonary infections but failure to thrive remained unchanged in spite of a continuous nutritional support. A vertical mode of transmission of AIDS from mother to child seems very probable.