Trylesinski A, Carbonnel F, Bouchaud O, Beaugerie L, Gharakanian S, Rozenbaum W, Cosnes J, Gendre J P, Le Quintrec Y
Service de Gastroentérologie et de Nutrition, Hôpital Rothschild, Paris, France.
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1995 Jul;7(7):679-83.
We report three cases of colonic histoplasmosis observed in a non-endemic area in patients with AIDS. The patients presented with fever, abdominal pain and an abdominal mass in the right lower quadrant. Diagnosis was obtained using Gomori-Crocott staining of endoscopic or surgical biopsies. One patient died without specific treatment and two patients had a complete remission when treated with intravenous amphotericin B but suffered a relapse when given oral itraconazole. Thus, physicians in areas where intestinal histoplasmosis is not endemic should be aware of the condition. Diagnosis can easily be obtained using Gomori-Crocott staining of colonoscopic biopsies; this should avoid unnecessary laparotomies and allow specific treatment to be instituted rapidly.
