Abstract

PIP: Persons with AIDS are predisposed to a variety of previously rare bacterial and fungal infections. Improvement in the quality and duration of survival of AIDS patients depends on the efficacy of treatment for these infections. Between 58-81% of AIDS patients contract fungal infections at some time, and 10-20% of AIDS patients die as a direct consequence of such infections. Oral candidiasis, commonly known as thrush, is the most common fungal infection among AIDS and AIDS Related Complex patients, occurring in 80-90% of cases. In a recent U.S. study, 59% of persons with oral candidiasis who were at high risk of contracting AIDS went on to develop Kaposi's sarcoma and other life- threatening infections. The most common life-threatening fungal infection experienced by AIDS patients is cryptococcosis, a disease occurring among 6% of American AIDS patients and having a mortality rate of 17% during initial infections and 75-100% on relapse. Other opportunistic infections associated with AIDS and AIDS Related Complex are bronchial candidiasis, invasive aspergillosis, disseminated histoplasmosis, and disseminated coccidioidomycosis. All are treatable but eradication i s difficult and relapse common.