[Parasitic and fungal neuroinfections at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Fann Teaching Hospital in Dakar].
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study was carried out to describe the epidemiological, clinical and aetiological profile of parasitic and fungal neuroinfections at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Fann Teaching Hospital in Dakar.


METHODS
Data were collected for analysis from patients files recorded from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003.


RESULTS
We found 126 cases of parasitic and fungal neuroinfections, representing 62% of the total of neuroinfections cases (126/203) and 27% of cerebro-meningeal diseases encountered at the clinic during the study period (126/470). Sex ratio M/F was 1.7 and the mean age of patients was 32 years +/- 14.4. Thirty seven patients (30%) were HIV seropositive. Aetiologies were represented by cerebral malaria (85 cases), neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (37 cases) and toxoplasmosis (4 cases). The overall case fatality rate was 38% (48 deaths/126). The fatality rate varied according to aetiologies: 27% in cerebral malaria, and 59.5% in neuromeningeal cryptococcosis that was found mainly among HIV positive patients (34 cases/37).


CONCLUSIONS
These results give evidence of the frequency and the gravity of the adult's cerebral malaria in Dakar, but also the growing place of the neuromeningeal cryptococcosis in the neuromeningeal opportunist pathology of HIV positive patients.
Soumaré
M
M
Clinique des Maladies Infectieuses CHU de Fann, BP 5035, Dakar, Sénégal. soumarem@refer.sn
Seydi
M
M
Diop
S A
SA
Ndour
C T
CT
Faye
N
N
Fall
N
N
Dieng
Y
Y
Diop
B M
BM
Sow
P S
PS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020314:Central Nervous System Fungal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D020807:Central Nervous System Parasitic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012675:Senegal; D055815:Young Adult