Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has modified the natural history of HIV-infection: the incidence of opportunistic infections (OIs) has decreased and mortality associated to HIV has improved dramatically. The reasons for hospitalization have changed; OIs are no longer the most common reason for admission. This study describes the patient population, admission diagnosis and hospital course of HIV patients in Colombia in the ART era. Patients admitted with HIV/AIDS at six hospitals in Medellin, Colombia between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015 were included. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were prospectively collected. 551 HIV-infected patients were admitted: 76.0% were male, the median age was 37 (30–49). A new diagnosis of HIV was made in 22.0% of patients during the index admission. 56.0% of patients of the entire cohort had been diagnosed with HIV for more than 1 year and 68.9% were diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease. More than 50.0% of patients had CD4 counts less than 200 CD4 cells/μL and viral loads greater than 100,000 copies. The main reasons for hospital admissions were OIs, tuberculosis, esophageal candidiasis and Toxoplasma encephalitis. The median hospital stay was 14 days (IQR 8–23). Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) was required in 10.3% of patients and 14.3% were readmitted to the hospital; mortality was 5.4%. Similar to other countries in the developing world, in Colombia, the leading cause of hospitalization among HIV-infected patients remain opportunistic infections. However, in-hospital mortality was low, similar to those described for high-income countries. Strategies to monitor and optimize the adherence and retention in HIV programs are fundamental to maximize the benefit of ART.

: Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic mucosal infection caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, an aquatic protistan parasite. It presents as nasal or ocular polypoidal or vascularized masses. It is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in South Asia; R. seeberi´s endemicity in the Americas is often overlooked. The objective of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with rhinosporidiosis in the Americas, its management, and patient outcomes. This study is a systematic review of cases of human rhinosporidiosis in the Americas reported in the literature from 1896 to February 28, 2019. This review screened 1,994 reports, of which 115 were eligible for further analysis. The selected reports described 286 cases of human rhinosporidiosis between 1896 and 2019. Cases were diagnosed in Brazil (32.2%), Colombia (24.4%), Paraguay (12.6%), and the United States (11.9%). The majority of the cases (91%) occurred in geographic areas with altitudes < 1,000 m above sea level and in areas with median temperatures ≥ 25°C (67.3%). Most of the patients presented nasal (65%) and ocular involvement (35%). Surgical treatment was provided for 99.6% of patients, but 19.8% of them recurred. This review describes the under-recognized geographic distribution and clinical presentation of rhinosporidiosis in the Americas and highlights clinical differences to cases in Asia, specifically in reference to a higher prevalence of ocular disease and higher relapse rates.

(1) Background: Few reports of necrotizing pneumonia in patients with COVID-19 have been published. We have observed an elevated incidence at two hospitals in our city, suggesting this complication is not uncommon, and may have been overlooked. (2) Methods: This article presents a retrospective, descriptive cohort study that was undertaken from 22 March 2020 to 15 June 2021 in two tertiary care hospitals in Medellín, Colombia. All adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory failure related to confirmed COVID-19, on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), with imaging or surgical findings documenting necrotizing pneumonia (NP) were included. (3) Results: Of 936 patients with COVID-19 that required IMV, 42 (4.5%) developed NP. Overall mortality was 57% and in-hospital mortality was 71%, occurring 15–79 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. NP was diagnosed at a median of 27 days after COVID-19 symptom onset and 15.5 days after initiation of IMV. Infections were polymicrobial in 52.4% of patients. Klebsiella pneumoniae (57%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (33%) were the most common etiologic agents. Pulmonary embolism (PE) was documented in 13 patients overall (31%), and in 50% of patients who underwent an angioCT. Drainage and/or surgical procedures were performed on 19 patients (45.2%) with a 75% mortality rate. (4) Conclusions: In our experience, NP is a relatively common, albeit neglected, complication in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, possibly originating in poorly vascularized areas of lung parenchyma. Associated mortality is high. Although drainage procedures did not seem to favorably impact patient outcomes, diagnosis and treatment were late events in the overall disease course, suggesting that early recognition and timely treatment could have a positive impact on prognosis.