RSS Feeds
Gastrointestinal Infections in AIDS
- Phillip D. Smith, MD;
- Thomas C. Quinn, MD;
- Warren Strober, MD;
- Edward N. Janoff, MD; and
- Henry Masur, MD
Abstract
▪ As the largest lymphoid organ in the body, the gastrointestinal tract is a potential reservoir for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and it is an important site for HIV-induced immunodeficiency. The resulting defects in cellular and humoral defense mechanisms predispose the gastrointestinal tract to a spectrum of viral, fungal, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens that cause relentless morbidity and, in some cases, death. With a thorough diagnostic evaluation, physicians can identify one or more of these pathogens in a majority of patients with AIDS who have gastrointestinal symptoms. The identification of enteric pathogens in patients with AIDS is important because an increasing array of therapeutic regimens is becoming available to treat many of these infections.
Article and Author Information
-
An edited summary of a Clinical Staff Conference held 28 February 1990 in the Amphitheater, Building 10, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. The conference was sponsored by the National Institute of Dental Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
-
Authors who wish to cite a section of the conference and specifically indicate its author may use this example for the form of reference:
Quinn TJ. Protozoan infections, pp. 66-68. In: Smith PD, moderator. Gastrointestinal infections in AIDS. Ann Intern Med. 1992;116:63-77.
-
Requests for Reprints: Phillip D. Smith, MD, National Institutes of Health, Building 30, Room 322, Bethesda, MD 20892.
-
Current Author Addresses: Dr. Smith: National Institutes of Health, Building 30, Room 322, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Quinn: Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Blalock 1111, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Dr. Strober: Mucosal Immunology Section, LCI, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 11N250, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Janoff: Division of Infectious Diseases, Veterans Affairs Medical Center 111 F, 1 Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417.
Dr. Masur: Critical Care Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 7D43, Bethesda, MD 20892.
