Diagnosis of systemic toxoplasmosis with HIV infection using DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue for polymerase chain reaction: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Toxoplasmosis can be a life-threatening disease when it occurs in patients with HIV infection. In particular, meningioencephalitis has been regarded as the most common toxoplasmic complication in such patients. However, toxoplasmic meningitis in a patient with HIV infection is extremely rare and purulent or tuberculous meningitis should be considered initially as a disease for differential diagnosis in Japan.


METHODS
Toxoplasmic meningitis in a patient with HIV infection is reported. A 36-year-old Japanese man presented with fever, pulsating headache, lumbago, nausea, and vomiting. No examinations suggested toxoplasmosis including cerebrospinal fluid examinations, images, and serological tests. The result of a polymerase chain reaction assay using paraffin-embedded section was regarded as the conclusive evidence for the diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
We wish to emphasize the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction assays with nucleic acid extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue sections processed for routine histopathological examination, if the section shows the infectious agents or findings suggesting some infectious diseases.
Okubo
Yoichiro
Y
Department of Surgical Pathology, Toho University School of Medicine, 6-11-1 Omori-Nishi, Ota-Ku, Tokyo, 143-8541, Japan. kaz@med.toho-u.ac.jp.
Shinozaki
Minoru
M
Yoshizawa
Sadako
S
Nakayama
Haruo
H
Wakayama
Megumi
M
Hatori
Tsutomu
T
Mituda
Aki
A
Hirano
Takayuki
T
Shimodaira
Kayoko
K
Yuzhu
Zhi
Z
Shibuya
Kazutoshi
K