[Bacteremia caused by non-typhoid Salmonellas during an infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the African adult]

Infection caused by non-typhous Salmonellae during the course of HIV infection is known since 1983. The authors report on 103 bacteremiae of this type found in one year. Diagnosis has been based on hemocultures. 86 patients out of 103 were HIV+. All of them were febrile. 67 suffered from digestive disorders, 33 with diarrhoea. Splenomegalia was noted in 16 cases and consciousness troubles in 13 cases. At the admission, 8 complications were observed. Other infections were associated in 86 cases particularly in HIV+ patients evolutive tuberculosis (38 cases), candidosis of oropharynx (32 cases), neuromeningeal crytococcosis (13 cases), pneumocystosis (3 cases), Kaposi’s sarcoma was discovered in 3 cases. The salmonellae isolated were in the 54 cases where characterization was made: Salmonella typhi murium in 44 cases and Salmonella enteridis in 10 cases. Classical cure (chloramphénicol) was effective in 85% of the treated patients. 28 positive hemocultures out of 103 isolated non-typhous Salmonellae were sampled later than the 72th hour after admission. This fact poses the problem of nosocomial infections in hospital departments in Black Africa, where HIV+ patients represent 52% of the admissions. Non-typhous Salmonellae would be part of the definition of African AIDS concerning patients with HIV test positive.