Extracerebral toxoplasmosis in AIDS. Histological and immunohistological findings based on 80 autopsy cases

Abstract

Despite the great amount of literature concerning toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients, little is known about extracerebral toxoplasmosis. Therefore we conducted a study of 80 autopsy cases to estimate the frequency of extracerebral toxoplasmosis. A control group of 50 cases was completely negative for all markers applied. In 35 of the 80 AIDS-cases (43.7%), organisms could be detected. In 13 cases (16.2%) there was an extracerebral toxoplasmosis; 4 cases (5%) showed only extracerebral involvement and in 9 cases (11.2%), extracerebral toxoplasmosis occurred in combination with cerebral manifestations. In 22 cases (27.5%), only cerebral toxoplasmosis was found. The following organs were involved: cardiac muscle (15%), lungs (6.2%), liver (5%), pancreas (5%), gastrointestinal tract (6.2%), adrenal glands (5%), lymph nodes (5%) and testis (3.7%). In individual cases further organs, not mentioned above, were involved. Pseudocysts could be demonstrated within necroses and inflammatory foci by conventional staining, whereas trophozoites became apparent only immunohistologically.