Differences in histoplasmosis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the United States and Brazil

Kian Karimi, L. Joseph Wheat, Patricia Connolly, Gretchen Cloud, Rana Hajjeh, Emerson Wheat, Katia Alves, Carlos Da Silva Lacaz, Elizabeth Keath

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

99 Scopus citations

Abstract

Demographic and clinical parameters among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and histoplasmosis in Brazil and United States were compared. The Brazilian isolates were typed by restriction-fragment length polymorphism analysis and were DNA fingerprinted by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) - polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Skin lesions occurred in 66% of Brazilian case patients, compared with 1%-7% of US case patients. Of 21 treated case patients, 4 (19%) died, a rate similar to that of the US case patients (5%-13%). By nuclear gene typing, the Brazilian isolates were equally divided between South American classes 5 and 6, and RAPD-PCR showed 18 distinct genetic fingerprints in 20 isolates. Skin lesions are more common in infection with class 5 or 6 organisms than with class 2 Histoplasma capsulatum. The role of genetic differences in the organism as a cause for the clinical differences requires investigation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1655-1660
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume186
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2002

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