Challenges in the morphological diagnostics of infectious lung diseases among HIV-infected patients: a case-series study

Authors

  • I. V. Liskina SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
  • O. D. Nikolaieva Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
  • O. O. Melnyk SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
  • L. M. Zahaba SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14739/2310-1210.2021.2.228772

Keywords:

HIV, secondary infections, lung diseases, diagnosis

Abstract

HIV-infection is a long-term infectious disease, characterized by deterioration of the immune system and it is often complicated by the development of opportunistic diseases, mainly of infectious origin. HIV-associated infections become generalized in the late stages of the disease and often may combine, that makes challenges in the diagnosis of these diseases. Differential morphological diagnosis of HIV-associated lung infections is quite complex. Most frequently, there is the need to differentiate between tuberculosis, bacterial or septic pneumonia, cytomegalovirus lung lesions, and deep mycoses.

The aim. To demonstrate the expediency and necessity to apply special complex morphological methods in HIV-infected patients with secondary lung lesions using the series of clinical cases as an example.

Materials and methods. The case series consisted of 7 cases with discordance between the clinical-radiologic, laboratory data and histological conclusions. Of these, there were 5 cases of life-time and 2 autopsy diagnoses. All the clinical and laboratory data of these cases were retrospectively analyzed, and a number of additional special histological examinations were performed. The Ziehl–Neelsen and fluorescent methods, Gomori–Grocot and alcian blue-PAS staining as well as immunohistochemical examinations were used for the detection of mycobacterial antigens with different antibodies to M. tuberculosis.

Results. The case series of initial morphological misdiagnosis or indeterminate histological diagnosis was revealed among hospitalized HIV-infected patients. Clinical data did not provide an accurate diagnosis of pulmonary pathology. According to the traditional histological examination, a tuberculous process was diagnosed in 3 cases, a chronic granulomatous process – in 2 cases, but without specifying the etiology. In two cases of autopsy, pneumocystis pneumonia was suspected in combination with other infections. Additional morphological examination with using 2–6 special methods made it possible to determine the correct diagnosis. In 2 cases of provisional diagnosis of tuberculosis, invasive cryptococcosis and “pneumonia in a drug user” were revealed. Cryptococcosis and pneumocystis pneumonia were detected in 2 cases with an unspecified process. In the autopsy cases, the diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia was ruled out, while viral-bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis associated with cytomegalovirus infection were detected.

Conclusions. The presented factual material demonstrates the principal importance of using a comprehensive morphological examination in cases of lung inflammatory processes in HIV-infected patients. Clinical patient data, namely HIV-status at the time of diagnostic procedures as well as radiological and microbiological findings serve as a substantial aid in the diagnosis.

Author Biographies

I. V. Liskina, SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv

MD, PhD, DSc, Senior Researcher, Head of the Laboratory of Pathomorphology

O. D. Nikolaieva, Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, Kyiv

MD, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Phthisiology and Pulmonology

O. O. Melnyk, SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv

PhD, Junior Researcher of the Laboratory of Pathomorphology

L. M. Zahaba, SI “National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology named after F. G. Yanovsky of the NAMS of Ukraine”, Kyiv

MD, PhD, Researcher of the Laboratory of Pathomorphology

References

Ulyukin, I. M., Bulygin, M. A., Bulankov, Yu. I., Orlova, E. S., & Sechin, A. A. (2020). Polimorfnost gribkovykh porazheniy pri VICh-infektsii [Multiformity of fungal injuries in HIV infection]. VICh-infektsiya i immunosupressii, 12(1), 105-112. http://doi.org/10.22328/2077-9828-2020-12-1-105-112 [in Russian].

Azovtseva, O. V., Viktorova, E. A., Murochkin, V. V., & Arkhipov, G. S. (2019). Osobennosti patomorfologicheskoy kartiny opportunisticheskikh i vtorichnykh zabolevaniy u VICh-infitsirovannykh bolnykh [Peculiarities of pathomorphological pattern of opportunistic and secondary diseases in HIV-infected patients]. Vestnik Novgorodskogo gosudarstvennogo universite-ta. Ser.: Meditsinskiye nauki, 1(113), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.34680/2076-8052.2019.1(113).23-33 [in Russian].

Pavlikova, K. V. (2016). Problema soputstvuyushchikh patologiy u VICh-infitsirovannykh patsiyentov v Ukraine [The problem comorbidities in HIV-infected patients in Ukraine]. Meditsinskiy zhurnal Zapadnogo Kazakhstana, 51(3), 96-100. URL: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_29041806_25313241.pdf [in Russian].

Agapov, M. M., Tsinzerling, V. A., Semenova, N. Yu., Isakov, A. N., & Vasilyeva, M. V. (2020). Patologicheskaya anatomiya tuberkuleza na fone infektsii, vyzvannoy virusom immunodefitsita cheloveka [Pathological anatomy of tuberculosis in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus infection]. Arkhiv patologii, 82(2), 12-19. http://doi.org/10.17116/patol20208202112 [in Russian].

Zyuzya, Yu. R., Kuzina, M. G., & Parkhomenko, Yu. G. (2017). Morfologicheskiye osobennosti mikobakteriozov. vyzvannykh netuberkuleznymi mikobakteriyami [Morphological features of mycobacteriosises caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria]. Klinicheskaya i eksperimentalnaya morfologiya, 4, 4-14. URL: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_32231627_76543862.pdf [in Russian].

Pokrovsky, V. V. (2018). Lektsii po VICh-infektsii [Lectures on HIV infection]. GEOTAR-Media. [in Russian].

Sinitsyn, M. V., Skopin, M. S., Reshetnikov, M. N., Plotkin, D. V., Zyuzya, Yu. R., & Sokolina, I. A. (2019). Differentsialnaya diagnostika limfadenopatii bryushnoy polosti u bolnykh VICh-infektsiyey [Differential diagnostics of abdomen lymphadenopathy in HIV patients]. Tuberkulez i bolezni legkikh, 97(2), 5-11. http://doi.org/10.21292/2075-1230-2019-97-2-5-11 [in Russian].

Garcia-Basteiro, A. L., Hurtado, J. C., Castillo, P., & et al (2019). Unmasking the hidden tuberculosis mortality burden in a large post mortem study in Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique. Eur Respir J, 54, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00312-2019

Koshevaya, E. G., & Tsinzerling, V. A. (2019) Vtorichnyye zabolevaniya v tanatogeneze pri VICh-tnfektsii [Secondary diseases in tanatogenesis in HIV infection]. VICh-infektsiya i immunosupresii, 11(1), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.22328/2077-9828-2019-11-1-46-55 [in Russian].

Timchenko, O. A., Zhuravleva, E. I., & Ivanov A. A. (2017). Znacheniye gistologicheskogo metoda issledovaniya v diagnostike VICh-assotsiirovannykh infektsiy [The importance of a histological method of research in the diagnosis of HIV-associated infections]. Sudebnaya meditsina, 3(3), 42-45. http://doi.org/10.19048/2411-8729-2017-3-3-42-45 [in Russian].

Che, N, Qu, Y, Zhang, C, Zhang, L., & Haiqing, Z. (2016). Double staining of bacilli and antigen Ag85B improves the accuracy of the pathological diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. J Clin Pathol, 69(7), 600-606. http://doi.org/10.1136/jclinpath-2015-203244

Karimi, S., Shamaei, M., Pourbdollah, M., Sadr, M., Karbasi, M., & et al (2016). Immunohistochemical findings of the granulomatous reaction associated with tuberculosis. International journal of Mycobacteriology, 5, 234-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmyco.2016.11.001

Jain, D., Ghosh, S., Teixeira, L., & Mukhopadhyay, S. (2017). Pathology of pulmonary tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease: Facts, misconceptions, and practical tips for pathologists. Seminars In Diagnostic Pathology, 34(6), 518-529. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semdp.2017.06.003

Katzenstein, A. (2006). Surgical pathology of non-neoplastic lung disease. Edinburgh: Elsevier Saunders.

Published

2021-04-16

How to Cite

1.
Liskina IV, Nikolaieva OD, Melnyk OO, Zahaba LM. Challenges in the morphological diagnostics of infectious lung diseases among HIV-infected patients: a case-series study. Zaporozhye Medical Journal [Internet]. 2021Apr.16 [cited 2024Nov.12];23(2):220-3. Available from: http://zmj.zsmu.edu.ua/article/view/228772

Issue

Section

Original research