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A Suction Blister Protocol to Study Human T-cell Recall Responses In Vivo
Published on: August 11, 2018
Umbilicated papules in an immunocompromised patient
Shreya K Gowda1, Gomathy Sethuraman1
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Abstract:
A 68-year-old male with HIV (CD4 count: 167 cells/mm³) presented with multiple umbilicated papules on the face and chest and a giant pedunculated nodule on the forehead, persisting for six months. Differential diagnoses included molluscum contagiosum, histoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis for the papules, and giant molluscum contagiosum or squamous cell carcinoma for the nodule. Histopathology revealed epidermal hyperplasia with Henderson Patterson bodies, confirming molluscum contagiosum. Fungal stains, cultures, and antigen tests for cryptococcosis and histoplasmosis were negative. The patient was started on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for immune reconstitution. This case underscores the importance of histopathology in differentiating molluscum contagiosum from opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients and highlights HAART as a key therapeutic intervention.
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