Neuropathology of human immunodeficiency virus infection. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Neuropathology of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Brain Pathol. 1991 Apr;1(3):163-75. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/94122948
Budka H; Neurological Institute, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria.


Abstract: Neuropathology has defined novel HIV-specific diseases at tissue level: HIV encephalitis and HIV leukoencephalopathy. Both occur usually in the later stages of the AIDS infection and consistently demonstrate large amounts of HIV products. In contrast to this HIV-specific neuropathology, HIV-associated neuropathology features unspecific syndromes with disputed relation to HIV infection: myelin pallor, vacuolar myelopathy, vacuolar leukoencephalopathy, lymphocytic meningitis, and diffuse poliodystrophy. All types of neuropathology may contribute to clinical manifestation according to severity, extent, and distribution of lesions, but clinico-pathologic correlation may be poor in the individual case. Neuropathologic and other data suggest two major pathogenetic pathways of HIV-associated CNS damage: First, systemic and local increase of the virus load leads to HIV encephalitis or HIV leukoencephalopathy; this is corroborated by prominent HIV production within such lesions. Second, neuronotoxicity by HIV proteins or factors secreted from infected cells is supported by histological changes of diffuse poliodystrophy and by morphometric loss of frontocortical neurons.
Keywords: AIDS Dementia Complex/MICROBIOLOGY/*PATHOLOGY Encephalitis/*MICROBIOLOGY/PATHOLOGY Human HIV/ISOLATION & PURIF HIV Infections/MICROBIOLOGY/*PATHOLOGY Meningitis, Aseptic/MICROBIOLOGY/PATHOLOGY Neurons/PATHOLOGY Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Vacuoles JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW REVIEW, TUTORIALKWDaidsdementiacomplex/microbiology/KWDpathologyencephalitis/KWDmicrobiology/pathologyhumanhiv/isolation&purifhivinfections/microbiology/KWDpathologymeningitis,aseptic/microbiology/pathologyneurons/pathologysupport,non-uKWDsKWDgov'tvacuolesjournalarticlereviewreview,tutorial
940530
M9450888

Copyright © 1994 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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