title: Mesenterial involvement of Mycobacterium genavense infection: hard to find, hard to treat.
abstract: Mycobacterium genavense is a rare pathogen affecting severely immunosuppressed patients. We report the case of persistent relapsing M. genavense infection in a 48-year-old African man with a positive diagnosis of HIV infection. Despite being under effective antiretroviral therapy with partial immune reconstitution, he developed irreversible long-term abdominal complications, possibly due to persistent M. genavense infection and sustained inflammation. Case management consists of individual risk assessment, close follow-up and personalised treatment strategies concerning the duration of antimycobacterial therapy and early application of steroids. Patients with profound immunosuppression, a high viral load at HIV diagnosis and a high burden of M. genavense, appear to be at higher risk. The pathogenicity of this complication is not well known and its optimal management has still to be determined.
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nasstasja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wassilew
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ciaffi
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calmy
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D001201:Ascites / Q000382:microbiology; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007249:Inflammation / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; D019562:Viral Load