The Reemergence of Measles

OBJECTIVES

Present-day pathologists may be unfamiliar with the histopathologic features of measles, which is a reemerging disease. Awareness of these features may enable early diagnosis of measles in unsuspected cases, including those with an atypical presentation. Using archived tissue samples from historic patients, a unique source of histopathologic information about measles and other reemerging infectious diseases, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the histopathologic features of measles seen in commonly infected tissues during prodrome, active, and late phases of the disease.

METHODS

Subspecialty pathologists analyzed H&E-stained slides of specimens from 89 patients accessioned from 1919 to 1998 and correlated the histopathologic findings with clinical data.

RESULTS

Measles caused acute and chronic histopathologic changes, especially in the respiratory, lymphoid (including appendix and tonsils), and central nervous systems. Bacterial infections in lung and other organs contributed significantly to adverse outcomes, especially in immunocompromised patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Certain histopathologic features, especially Warthin-Finkeldey cells and multinucleated giant cells without inclusions, allow pathologists to diagnose or suggest the diagnosis of measles in unsuspected cases.

Acute tubular nephropathy in a patient with acute HIV infection: review of the literature

We report a 57-year old man with diabetes mellitus and hypertension who presented with acute HIV infection. Routine blood tests showed an elevated blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. Renal biopsy showed acute tubular nephropathy, which has not been reported to occur during acute HIV infection, in the absence of rhabdomyolysis or multiple organ system failure. Antiretroviral therapy was initiated. His renal failure gradually resolved without further intervention. At one year of follow-up his HIV RNA was undetectable, and his renal function was normal. The case illustrates a rare manifestation of acute HIV infection – acute renal failure - in an older man with diabetes and hypertension. In this setting acute kidney injury might mistakenly have been attributed to his chronic comorbidities, and this case supports early HIV-1 testing in the setting of a high index of suspicion.