Cutaneous infection with cytomegalovirus in patients with HIV / AIDS infection

Abstract

Infection by cytomegalovirus has worldwide distribution with high prevalence in developing countries, where it reaches almost 100% of the population. Cutaneous manifestations are rare. Moreover, unspecific presentation of dermatological lesions may contribute to subdiagnosis of the disease. We report a case of a 24 years-old female patient, severely immunocompromised, with ulcerations on the skin with 4 months of evolution, diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection two months after the onset of lesions. In the third week of hospitalization she developed an acute cytomegalovirus retinitis, and despite initiation of anti-retroviral and anti- cytomegalovirus treatment initiation, she died after three months with an acute pericarditis.