Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in severely immunocompromised people living with HIV: Findings from a five-year cohort.

Background: We sought to clarify the current incidence, risk factors and symptoms of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (dMAC) infection in admitted people living with HIV in a hospital in the Southeast of Spain.

Methods: 5-years observational, retrospective and single-centre study. Demographic, clinical and analytical variables, along with microbiological, treatment and follow-up were collected.

Results: Five cases of dMAC infection in severely immunocompromised people living with HIV people living were found. dMAC was diagnosed in 22.7% of patients under 100 CD4. All patients presented with fever and clinical manifestations of pneumonia, lymphadenopathy, or gastrointestinal symptoms. Despite low CD4 levels and high viral loads in some cases, primary prophylaxis had not been previously administered.

Conclusions: Until 2018, U.S. American guidelines recommended antimycobacterial prophylaxis for patients with low CD4 cell counts, a practice not adopted in Europe. Untreated dMAC infection is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. dMAC infection represents a prevalent disease in severely immunosuppressed people living with HIV. dMAC requires a high index of suspicion in this population, in order to perform mycobacterial cultures from different samples.