Infecciones oportunistas en 5.612 necropsias. Santiago, Chile, 1960-1986

Abstract

To help fill gaps in existing knowledge about opportunistic parasitic infections in Chile, histologic material from 5,612 autopsies performed from 1960 through mid-1986 was examined. This examination found 175 opportunistic agents in the tissues of 151 autopsy subjects- these agents including fungi (75 per cent), viruses (23 per cent), parasites (3 per cent), and Nocardia (2 per cent). Ordinary bacteria were disregarded because they are not sufficiently distinctive in histologic studies and cannot be classed as opportunistic on the basis of such studies alone. The most commonly found infections were candidiasis, aspergillosis, cytomegalovirus infection, herpesvirus infection, and zygomycosis. The most commonly compromised organs and tissues were the lungs, esophagus, kidneys, brain, intestines, stomach, myocardium, liver, trachea, and skin. The more frequent primary underlying conditions predisposing subjects to opportunistic infections were lymphohematologic disorders, solid tumors, diabetes mellitus, major abdominal surgery, diffuse diseases of the connective tissue, pulmonary tuberculosis, kidney transplants, prematurity, and senility. In 44 cases the subject had a history of immunodepressant chemotherapy. In general, the types of opportunistic infections, the clinical-anatomic forms of those infections, and the underlying conditions predisposing subjects to such infections appear to