Acute necrotizing myelitis in an AIDS patient.

Acute necrotizing myelitis in an AIDS patient. In the setting of HIV infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1-2 (HSV 1-2) can affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems. These agents can involve the spinal cord and produce a necrotizing transverse myelitis. This usually occurs in AIDS patients with severe immunodeficiency: CD4 + lymphocyte counts typically are less than 50 cell/muL. The clinical presentation, CSF and imaging studies can provide a high level of suspicion diagnosis. Prompt initiation of antiviral specific drugs is essential. We report a patient with an acute necrotizing myelitis (cauda equina syndrome) secondary to CMV and HSV infections.