title: [The morphology of HIV encephalopathy].
abstract: Reported in this paper are postmortem findings recorded from the central nervous system of 51 HIV carriers, among them 43 with clinically manifest AIDS. Opportunistic infections and tumours were established in 24 cases, including toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy, and lymphomas. Findings obtained from 5 patients were restricted to unspecific alterations. No pathological findings at all were recordable from 8 HIV carriers without AIDS. So-called subacute microglial encephalitis (SME) was detected in 26 cases. SME was found to provide for the morphological substrate of genuine HIV encephalopathy. It was characterised by occurrence of mononuclear and even multinucleated cells which were macrophages and obviously served as virus carriers. Multinucleated cells are pathognomonic of HIV encephalopathy. No unambiguous evidence has so far been produced to primary invasion of neurons or glial cells by HI viruses.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuropathologie, Universität Münster, BRD.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gullotta
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuchelmeister
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ghidoni
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cappricci
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology
vernacular_title: Zur Morphologie der HIV-Enzephalopathie.