Related Experiment Videos
Unusual cutaneous cytomegalovirus involvement in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
I Bournérias1, S Boisnic, O Patey
1Department of Public Health, Parasitology, and Tropical Medicine, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Insights
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause rare skin lesions in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Early diagnosis via skin biopsy aids in timely treatment of disseminated CMV disease.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is frequently associated with opportunistic infections.
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) commonly affects ocular and visceral organs in immunocompromised individuals.
Observation:
- Two patients with AIDS presented with unusual, persistent keratotic skin lesions.
- Pathological examination and molecular techniques confirmed CMV infection in the skin biopsies.
Findings:
- Cutaneous cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an uncommon manifestation in AIDS patients.
- Skin lesions can be indicative of disseminated CMV disease.
Implications:
- Skin biopsies are crucial for the early diagnosis of CMV cutaneous infections in AIDS.
- Prompt diagnosis facilitates specific treatment and management of disseminated CMV disease.
Abstract:
Two patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome presented unusual keratotic cutaneous lesions with a protracted course. Pathologic examination in both patients, cultures, and DNA hybridization techniques of skin biopsy specimens in the second patient were characteristic of cytomegalovirus cutaneous infection. Cytomegalovirus skin lesions are rarely described in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in contrast with the high frequency of ocular and visceral involvement. Skin biopsy specimens may lead to early diagnosis of cytomegalovirus disseminated disease and to specific treatment.