Pulse Treatment Using Azithromycin in HIV/AIDS-Associated Solitary Tumor-Like Bacillary Angiomatosis

Abstract

With the advent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic within the South Saharan region, clinicians are faced with accentuated clinical presentations of previously well-known diseases. Bacillary angiomatosis is no exception to this rule. Bacillary angiomatosis is a cutaneous and systemic bacterial infection caused by gram-negative Bartonella species. We report a case of an immunocompromised 44 years old female patient who presented with a solitary tumor-like bacillary angiomatosis that was treated successfully with azithromycin in a bi-weekly pulsed dosing regimen. This patient had a considerably large (12 x 10cm’s) single lesion of the disease. The case highlights the potential that immunosuppressed patients are not only at risk of disseminated disease, but also of developing severe localized disease. Furthermore, Azithromycin pulse treatment may offer a convenient alternative as there is still no clear consensus regarding treatment protocol for using azithromycin in the treatment of cutaneous bartonellosis.