A case of gram negative pericarditis in a patient with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

A diagnosis of pericarditis due to Escherichia coli was made in a 38 year old male patient with AIDS. The source of infection in this patient was not established. This case highlights the need to carry out a diagnostic pericardiocentesis in immunocompromised patients presenting with pericardial effusions and the importance of adequate antibiotic cover when treating such patients prior to microbiological confirmation of the causative organism.