[Fever, diarrhoea and neurological syndrome in HIV-infected immigrants]

Abstract

Fever, diarrhoea and neurological symptoms are relatively common in immigrants, as well as in HIV-infected patients. The main febrile diseases in HIV-positive immigrants from the tropics are tuberculosis, bacteremia due to Salmonella spp. or Streptococcus pneumoniae and community-acquired pneumonia or pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jiroveci. The presence of diarrhoea should lead to suspicion of opportunistic infections caused by parasites and protozoa of the digestive tract such as Cryptosporidium parvum, Isospora belli, Cyclospora spp. and Microsporidium spp. The main diseases to be taken into account are those of the nervous system that affect immunosuppressed patients, such as cryptococcosis, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus infections. Cerebral malaria as a complication of Plasmodium falciparum should be included in the differential diagnosis.