Endocarditis as the first presentation of AIDS in infancy

摘要

A two month old Ugandan boy underwent surgery for anobstructive right ventricular vegetation associated with disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection. Both thechild and his mother subsequently tested positive for HIV infection.Very little is know about the incidence of endocarditis in paediatricpatients with AIDS. To our knowledge this is the first case reported of disseminated S aureus infection associatedwith endocarditis and an obstructing vegetation in an HIV positiveinfant with a structurally normal heart. The initial signs and symptomsfor endocarditis were atypical, a reflection of the overwhelminginfection in an immunocompromised patient. Severe infections may havean atypical presentation in immunosuppressed patients. AIDS needs to beconsidered in these patients, especially if they come from populationswith endemic HIV infection.