Multiorganism HIV-associated diarrhea and telescoping bowel

Diarrhea in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a diagnostic challenge. We treated a 53-year-old woman from Africa who presented with acute diarrhea, which yielded a diagnosis of HIV and severe immune deficiency. The patient's diarrhea resulted in hypovolemic shock and acute abdominal pain. Evaluation revealed an intestinal intussusception. Pathology findings were consistent with Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba, Giardia, and cytomegalovirus infections. The actual prevalence of multiple microorganisms causing HIV-associated diarrhea is unknown. A nonmalignant-related adult intussusception in this context is exceedingly rare and of noteworthy significance.

Keywords: AIDS; Cryptosporidium; HIV; cytomegalovirus; gastroenterology; infectious diarrhea; infectious disease.