Korean J Helicobacter Up Gastrointest Res.  2019 Mar;19(1):38-41. 10.7704/kjhugr.2019.19.1.38.

Infectious Diseases of the Stomach in Immune-compromised Patients

• Lee SM
• Cheung DY

• KMID: 2440653
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7704/kjhugr.2019.19.1.38

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract is a vast reservoir for internal microbiota; it is exposed directly to various externally introduced microbes, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and others. In immune-compromised conditions, the gastrointestinal tract is frequently affected by infectious diseases that seldom manifest clinically in immune-competent hosts. Immune-compromised conditions result from a variety of reasons, including human immunodeficiency virus infection, anti-cancer chemo-radiotherapy, immune suppressive therapy for autoimmune diseases, and organ transplantations. The stomach is a relatively rare site for opportunistic infections in immune-compromised patients compared to the esophagus and colon, where esophagitis and colitis develop frequently and cause significant clinical consequences. Helicobacter pylori infection is majorly involved in gastric malfunctioning in immune-compromised patients, followed by cytomegalovirus infection. Infections by Cryptosporidium, Mycobacterium avium complex, histoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, aspergillosis, or treponema, have been reported; however, gastric involvement of these agents is extremely rare. This review discusses the general aspects and recent reports on gastric infection in immune-compromised patients.

Keyword

Immune-compromised; Infection; Stomach

MeSH Terms

Aspergillosis
Autoimmune Diseases
Bacteria
Colitis
Colon
Communicable Diseases*
Cryptosporidium
Cytomegalovirus Infections
Esophagitis
Esophagus
Gastrointestinal Tract
Helicobacter pylori
Histoplasmosis
HIV
Humans
Leishmaniasis
Microbiota
Mycobacterium avium Complex
Opportunistic Infections
Organ Transplantation
Parasites
Stomach*
Transplants
Treponema