[Acute primary stage of HIV infection and progression to AIDS with Kaposi sarcoma 24 months later].

The case is reported of a 31-year-old homosexual male who developed distinct maculopapular and papulovesicular exanthema with aphthous-like, painful lesions of the oral mucosa, together with marked general symptoms (fever, diarrhoea, lymphadenopathy). This clinical picture suggested the primary acute phase of an initial HIV infection; during this phase the HIV-ELISA and Western blot test were negative. One year later the patient was found to be HIV-positive, showing oral candidosis, generalized lymphadenopathy, seborrhoeic eczema and zoster infection (L5/S1). A further year later, the patient developed full-blown AIDS with disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma. This observation underlines the acute inflammatory character of the primary phase of HIV infection with initial exanthema and documents the appearance of AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma in a time period of maximally 2 years thereafter.