Search

Introduction: The etiology of pulmonary infections in HIV patients is determined by several variables including geographic region and availability of antiretroviral therapy. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted from 2012 to 2016 to evaluate the occurrence of pulmonary fungal infection in HIV-patients hospitalized due to pulmonary infections. Patients’ serums were tested for (1–3)-β-D-Glugan, galactomannan, and lactate dehydrogenase. The association among the variables was analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: 60 patients were included in the study. The patients were classified in three groups: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (19 patients), community-acquired pneumonia (18 patients), and other infections (23 patients). The overall mortality was 13.3%. The time since diagnosis of HIV infection was shorter in the pneumocystosis group (4.94 years; p = 0.001) than for the other two groups of patients. The multivariate analysis showed that higher (1-3)-β-D-Glucan level (mean: 241 pg/mL) and lactate dehydrogenase (mean: 762 U/L) were associated with the diagnosis of pneumocystosis. Pneumocystosis was the aids-defining illness in 11 out of 16 newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients. Conclusion: In the era of antiretroviral therapy, PJP was still the most prevalent pulmonary infection and (1-3)-β-D-Glucan and lactate dehydrogenase may be suitable markers to help diagnosing pneumocystosis in our HIV population. Keywords: Pulmonary infection, HIV/AIDS, (1-3)-β-D-Glugan, LDH, LAMP, Pneumocystosis, Fungal infection

This study aimed to determine whether candiduria is associated with the occurrence of nosocomial candidaemia. In the case-control part of the study, 115 cases (nosocomial candidaemia) and 115 controls (nosocomial bacteraemia) were similar in age, severity of condition and time of hospitalisation. There was a significant association of candidaemia with candiduria (OR 9.79; 95% CI 2.14–44.76). In the microbiology part of the study, 23 pairs of Candida-positive urine and blood cultures were obtained from 23 patients. In ten (43%) cases, the urine and blood culture isolates belonged to different species, and molecular typing showed a difference in two of the 13 cases yielding the same species from both specimens. Overall, there was a significant association between candiduria and candidaemia, but the Candida isolates from urine and blood were different for 52% of the patients. Thus, the data indicated that the urinary tract was probably not a source for the candidaemia.