DISSEMINATED TALAROMYCOSIS IN HIV/AIDS - A CASE REPORT

Talaromyces marneffei (previously Penicillium marneffei), a dimorphic fungus distributed widely in nature, is an emerging pathogen associated with high mortality and morbidity. It infects individuals with some form of underlying immune-deciency like HIV, malignancy, transplant-recipients, autoimmune diseases, prolonged steroid therapy etc. Although it's prevalence among HIV/AIDS patients has reduced with the widespread use of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), yet due to increase in patients with other immune decient states and improved diagnostic modalities, its overall prevalence has increased. It is remarkably and specically seen in patients who are native to or have visited South-east Asia, eastern India or southern China. Few disseminated T. marneffei infections have been reported from India. We report a case of disseminated T. marneffei in a HIV patient with profound immune-deciency. This case highlights the importance of considering it as an important differential in cases of patients with characteristic skin lesions having underlying immune deciency belonging to a specic geographical area.