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The paper describes a rare case of rapidly progressive generalized pneumocystosis in HIV infection in a 43-year-old patient who died 4.5-5 months after disease onset. The specific feature of the case is that in pneumocystosis there was multiple organ dysfunction, as well as infiltrate decay to form small and large lung cavities similar to tuberculosis ones. Autopsy disclosed Pneumocystis-induced changes in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and the wall of the ileum. Pneumocystosis and HIV infection were diagnosed only posthumously. The specificity of organ diseases was immunohistochemically verified.

Mortality of HIV/tuberculosis (TB) patients in Eastern Europe is high. Little is known about their causes of death. This study aimed to assess and compare mortality rates and cause of death in HIV/TB patients across Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Argentina (WEA) in an international cohort study. Mortality rates and causes of death were analysed by time from TB diagnosis (<3 months, 3-12 months or >12 months) in 1078 consecutive HIV/TB patients. Factors associated with TB-related death were examined in multivariate Poisson regression analysis. 347 patients died during 2625 person-years of follow-up. Mortality in Eastern Europe was three- to ninefold higher than in WEA. TB was the main cause of death in Eastern Europe in 80%, 66% and 61% of patients who died <3 months, 3-12 months or >12 months after TB diagnosis, compared to 50%, 0% and 15% in the same time periods in WEA (p<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, follow-up in WEA (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.12, 95% CI 0.04-0.35), standard TB-treatment (IRR 0.45, 95% CI 0.20-0.99) and antiretroviral therapy (IRR 0.32, 95% CI 0.14-0.77) were associated with reduced risk of TB-related death. Persistently higher mortality rates were observed in HIV/TB patients in Eastern Europe, and TB was the dominant cause of death at any time during follow-up. This has important implications for HIV/TB programmes aiming to optimise the management of HIV/TB patients and limit TB-associated mortality in this region.

Objectives: To assess health care utilisation for patients co-infected with TB and HIV (TB-HIV), and to develop a weighted health care index (HCI) score based on commonly used interventions and compare it with patient outcome., Methods: A total of 1061 HIV patients diagnosed with TB in four regions, Central/Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe and Argentina, between January 2004 and December 2006 were enrolled in the TB-HIV study. A weighted HCI score (range 0-5), based on independent prognostic factors identified in multivariable Cox models and the final score, included performance of TB drug susceptibility testing (DST), an initial TB regimen containing a rifamycin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide, and start of combination antiretroviral treatment (cART)., Results: The mean HCI score was highest in Central/Northern Europe (3.2, 95%CI 3.1-3.3) and lowest in Eastern Europe (1.6, 95%CI 1.5-1.7). The cumulative probability of death 1 year after TB diagnosis decreased from 39% (95%CI 31-48) among patients with an HCI score of 0, to 9% (95%CI 6-13) among those with a score of ≥4. In an adjusted Cox model, a 1-unit increase in the HCI score was associated with 27% reduced mortality (relative hazard 0.73, 95%CI 0.64-0.84)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that DST, standard anti-tuberculosis treatment and early cART may improve outcome for TB-HIV patients. The proposed HCI score provides a tool for future research and monitoring of the management of TB-HIV patients. The highest HCI score may serve as a benchmark to assess TB-HIV management, encouraging continuous health care improvement.

Objectives: The study aimed at describing characteristics and outcome of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in HIV-positive patients and comparing these parameters with those of extrapulmonary TB (TBEP) and pulmonary TB (TBP)., Methods: Kaplan-Meier estimation and Poisson regression models were used to assess the mortality following TB diagnosis and to evaluate potential prognostic factors for the 3 groups of TB patients separately., Results: A total of 100 patients with TBM, 601 with TBEP, and 371 TBP were included. Patients with TBM had lower CD4 cell counts and only 17.0% received antiretroviral therapy (ART) at TB diagnosis. The cumulative probability of death at 12 months following TB was 51.2% for TBM (95% CI 41.4-61.6%), 12.3% for TBP (8.9-15.7%), and 19.4% for TBEP (16.1-22.6) (P<0.0001; log-rank test). For TBM, factors associated with a poorer prognosis were not being on ART (adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) 4.00 (1.72-9.09), a prior AIDS diagnosis (aIRR=4.82 (2.61-8.92)), and receiving care in Eastern Europe (aIRR=5.41 (2.58-11.34)))., Conclusions: TBM among HIV-positive patients was associated with a high mortality rate, especially for patients from Eastern Europe and patients with advanced HIV-infection, which urgently calls for public health interventions to improve both TB and HIV aspects of patient management.

Outcome of treatment of 102 patients co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis hospitalized at Second Municipal Tuberculosis Hospital (St. Petersburg) is analyzed. The median period of follow up was 8 weeks. In order to select the optimum treatment scheme, all patients were divided into three groups (I-III). Group I (51 patients) received, in addition to antituberculosis medications, cycloferon 600 mg tablets on alternate days. Group II (16 patients) received alpha and gamma interferons (Interal injection, 3 MU and Ingaron injection, 500,000 on alternate days) in combination with antituberculosis medications. Control group III (35 patients) received antituberculosis treatment plus placebo. Assessment of the outcome of TB treatment upon 8 weeks of follow up showed a remarkable improvement of clinical and immunological conditions in the patients who received interferons and cycloferon.

The study was designed to evaluate efficiency of 8-week treatment of 86 patients with tuberculosis and concomitant mild hepatitis B using cycloferon tablets. This therapy had beneficial effect on the symptoms of intoxication syndrome and respiratory manifestations of tuberculosis; in addition, it improved hemograms. By the end of the treatment the frequency of sputum abacillation was 4.9 times and positive X-ray dynamics (cavity closure) 2.2 times higher than in control. Therapy positively influenced hepatic function assessed from activity of cytolitic enzymes and bilirubin level; also, it improved serum levels of total protein.

Background and Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death in HIV-infected patients worldwide. We aimed to study clinical characteristics and outcome of 1075 consecutive patients diagnosed with HIV/TB from 2004 to 2006 in Europe and Argentina., Methods: One-year mortality was assessed in patients stratified according to region of residence, and factors associated with death were evaluated in multivariable Cox models., Results: At TB diagnosis, patients in Eastern Europe had less advanced immunodeficiency, whereas a greater proportion had a history of intravenous drug use, coinfection with hepatitis C, disseminated TB, and infection with drug-resistant TB (P < 0.0001). In Eastern Europe, fewer patients initiated TB treatment containing at least rifamycin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide or combination antiretroviral therapy (P < 0.0001). Mortality at 1 year was 27% in Eastern Europe, compared with 7, 9 and 11% in Central/Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Argentina, respectively (P < 0.0001). In a multivariable model, the adjusted relative hazard of death was significantly lower in each of the other regions compared with Eastern Europe: 0.34 (95% confidence interval 0.17-0.65), 0.28 (0.14-0.57), 0.34 (0.15-0.77) in Argentina, Southern Europe and Central/Northern Europe, respectively. Factors significantly associated with increased mortality were CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/microl [2.31 (1.56-3.45)], prior AIDS [1.74 (1.22-2.47)], disseminated TB [2.00 (1.38-2.85)], initiation of TB treatment not including rifamycin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide [1.68 (1.20-2.36)], and rifamycin resistance [2.10 (1.29-3.41)]. Adjusting for these known confounders did not explain the increased mortality seen in Eastern Europe., Conclusion: The poor outcome of patients with HIV/TB in Eastern Europe deserves further study and urgent public health attention.

The authors analyze 143 cases of extrapulmonary and generalized tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients. There is a steady increase in the number of patients with multiple organ tuberculosis that frequently acquires the pattern of an acute generalized septic process. Generalized tuberculosis predominantly develops in HIV-infected patients with a considerable reduction in immunological parameters and it is, in these cases, of primary generalized nature. The efficiency of treatment is very low in patients with multiple organ tuberculosis. Despite therapy, the progression of the disease results in early death. However, the prospects for further inclusion of highly active antiretroviral therapy in multimodality treatment for comorbidity give hope for the solution of this problem.

Tuberculosis in the HIV infected becomes an urgent problem the phthisiologists of Saint Petersburg face. The test using tuberculin in a dose of 2 TE remains the most informative method for determining Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) infection in HIV-affected persons. It is a more information method than the Mantoux reaction using 5 TE. The diagnostic value of enzyme immunoassay employing tuberculous antigen is low in the persons infected MBT and HIV. There is evidence for the effectiveness of prophylactic double (isonizid and ethambutol) component courses against the development of tuberculosis for those infected with MBT and HIV.

The proportion of those who died at a hospital in 2001 is 3.8% of the treated patients and that in 2002 is 4.2%. In 2003, mortality rates increased more than 3-fold and accounted for 13.4%. Patients with a long history of tuberculosis were found to have pulmonary tuberculosis without extrapulmonary foci. Generalized forms of tuberculosis were detectable in more than a third of the cases and more frequently encountered in patients with significant immunodeficiency for whom tuberculosis was opportunistic infection.

The efficiency of regional lymphotropic therapy (RLT) used to treat tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients was analyzed. With this treatment, the symptoms of intoxication are eliminated more rapidly. In shorter periods, bacterial isolation ceases and decay cavities close in the majority of patients. This chemotherapy is better tolerated and toxic reactions occur less frequently. Due to its absolute controllability, RLT is may be used in socially dysadapted patients.