title: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome without the recognized risk factors.
abstract: We report two cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), apparently without the usual exposure factors, in whom a temporal association was detected after detailed epidemiological investigation. The index case, a 45 year old housewife, had provided terminal home-nursing care for a 33 year old African man, who died from an undiagnosed encephalitis. At that time she had fissures of the skin of both her hands. Review of post-mortem pathology specimens of the African man allowed a retrospective diagnosis of AIDS with cerebral toxoplasmosis to be made. The type of home-nursing care given by the index case was quite different from that normally provided by health care workers with the training and facilities to prevent the spread of infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rademaker
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Provost
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McEvoy
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Grint
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*; D000328:Adult; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries