[Acute toxoplasmic pancreatitis. An unusual cause of death in AIDS]

We report a case of an acute toxoplasmic pancreatitis that led to the death of an AIDS patient. Aetiological diagnosis was performed by the post mortem histological examination. On haematein-eosin staining, toxoplasmic cysts and pseudocysts were noted in the pancreatic acini. Immunohistochemical study using anti-Toxoplasma gondii polyclonal antibodies showed free parasitic forms or tachyzoites in the necrotic areas. Toxoplasmic cysts without any inflammatory reaction were observed in the lungs. In the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, involvement of the pancreas by toxoplasmosis is very rare and associated with a multivisceral dissemination. Even if this diagnosis is exceptional, acute toxoplasmic pancreatitis must be considered in an AIDS patient when the other causes of pancreatitis, as drugs or infectious diseases, have been eliminated.