1. Every effort should be made to confirm a specific diagnosis in patients with significant immunosuppression (category IV recommendation). Various algorithms have been proposed for the investigation and/or empirical management of chronic HIV-related diarrhoea (three or more loose stools for 28 or more days) in Western [26–30] and tropical settings

[31–33]. Parasitic causes are more likely in those with prolonged diarrhoea, considerable weight loss and CD4 count <100 cells/μL, and may coexist selleck inhibitor with CMV, mycobacterial or other infections. 4.4.1.1 Background and epidemiology. Acute diarrhoea is more common in people living with HIV, especially in those who are older and have lower CD4 cell counts. Evidence to confirm increased carriage and pathogenicity of many of the causative viral and bacterial pathogens is sparse, once risk factors such as socioeconomic circumstances, travel and sexual behaviour are controlled for. Few studies of HIV-related VX-809 supplier diarrhoea include investigation for viruses other than cytomegalovirus (CMV)

and there is only anecdotal evidence of increased severity or frequency of most viruses associated with gastroenteritis in HIV, including noroviruses and rotavirus [20,21]. There have been reports implicating coronavirus, which may coexist with bacterial pathogens [26] in acute diarrhoea, and adenovirus, which may coexist with CMV in patients with chronic diarrhoea [27]. Herpes simplex infections (HSV-2 and HSV-1) cause relapsing and severe proctocolitis and should be treated with aciclovir 400 mg five STK38 times daily po or valaciclovir 1 g bd po for 7–14 days, while severe infection may necessitate aciclovir iv 5 mg/kg tid for the initial part of therapy [34]. Prophylaxis should be considered for recurrent disease [see 6.3 Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection]. CMV colitis can present with acute diarrhoea and is specifically addressed later as a major opportunistic infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Sexually transmitted agents such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis (including lymphogranuloma venereum) should be considered in susceptible

individuals. Invasive non-typhoidal salmonellosis (NTS) was recognized early in the HIV epidemic to be strongly associated with immunosuppression in Western [29–31,35,36] and tropical [32,33] settings, but there is no association between HIV and typhoid or paratyphoid. Patients with HIV and NTS infections present with febrile illness or sepsis syndromes and diarrhoea may be absent or a less prominent feature [37,38]. As in HIV negative individuals, other bacterial pathogens include Clostridium difficile, Campylobacter spp and Shigella spp. C. difficile was the most common cause of diarrhoea in a US cohort study [28] and has been described in British and resource-poor settings [39–41]. It has been implicated in over 50% of cases of acute diarrhoea in studies spanning both the pre- and post-HAART eras.