Bacterial agents isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and neurological complications

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 491 - 496
• Main Authors: Landgraf, I M, Palaci, M, Vieira, M F, Ueki, S Y, Martins, M C, Sato, D N, Ferrazoli, L, Telles, M A, Gorla, M C, Vaz, T M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Instituto de Medicina Tropical 01.12.1994
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - cerebrospinal fluid; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - complications; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - microbiology; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; AIDS/HIV; Bacterial Infections - cerebrospinal fluid; Bacterial Infections - complications; Central Nervous System Diseases - cerebrospinal fluid; Central Nervous System Diseases - complications; Central Nervous System Diseases - microbiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Gram-Negative Bacteria - isolation & purification; Gram-Positive Bacteria - isolation & purification; Humans; Infant; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - isolation & purification; Sex Factors; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Bacterial agents; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Cerebrospinal fluid
• ISSN: 0036-4665; 1678-9946; 1678-9946; 0036-4665
• DOI: 10.1590/S0036-46651994000600003

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 2083 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and neurological complications were bacteriologically examined during a period of 7 years (1984-1990). The percentage of patients who had at least one bacterial agent cultured from the CSF was 6.2%. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was the most frequently isolated agent (4.3%), followed by Mycobacterium avium complex or MAC (0.7%), Pseudomonas spp (0.5%), Enterobacter spp (0.4%), and Staphylococcus aureus (0.3%). Among 130 culture positive patients, 89 (68.5%) had M. tuberculosis and 15 (11.6%) had MAC. The frequency of bacterial isolations increased from 1988 (5.2%) to 1990 (7.2%), partly due to the increase in MAC isolations. Bacterial agents were more frequently isolated from patients in the age group 21-30 years and from women (p < 0.05).