Mortality associated with concurrent strongyloidosis and cytomegalovirus infection in a patient on steroid therapy

Abstract

Disseminated strongyloidosis has been recognized with increasing frequency, often in patients who are immunocompromised or have received steroid therapy. In addition, disease due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) is noted in immunodeficient hosts. We report on a 55-year-old Puerto Rican man who received steroid treatment for orpharyngeal pemphigus vulgaris and developed abdominal symptoms with alternating constipation and diarrhea. The clinical work-up did not reveal specific abnormalities, but the patient died of cardiopulmonary failure. At the postmortem examination, the patient had evidence of strongyloidosis and CMV disease. This report reviews both this case and the literature, and discusses the overlapping infections of strongyloidosis and CMV disease in this patient who had received steroid therapy.