ASPERGILLUS SPECIES COLONIZATION AND INVASIVE DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH AIDS

Invasive aspergillosis is an uncommon infectious complication in patients with AIDS. Of the 972 patients with AIDS who were observed at our institution over a 10-year period, Aspergillus species were isolated from the respiratory sites of 45 patients before death. Invasive aspergillosis was documented at autopsy in four of these patients and was strongly suspected in an additional patient on whom an autopsy was not performed. A fifth case was documented at autopsy (no antemortem respiratory sample was obtained from this patient). Traditional risk factors for the development of invasive disease (neutropenia, hematologic malignancy, and/or corticosteroid use) were present in all of our patients with invasive aspergillosis. A review of the literature revealed reports of an additional 13 cases of invasive aspergillosis in patients with AIDS. Therapy with amphotericin B should be considered for neutropenic patients with AIDS who have pneumonia of uncertain etiology and from whom Aspergillus species have been isolated from a respiratory specimen.