[Esophagomediastinal fistulae as a rare complication of tuberculosis in an HIV-infected patient].

A 57-year-old man with an HIV infection, diagnosed a year ago, complained of fever and cough. The haemoglobin level was 7.5 g/dl, white cell count 3800/microliters, T-helper cell count 60/microliters and the CD4-CD8 ratio 0.1. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was raised to 21/39 mm. Bacteriological tests were at first negative. The chest radiograph showed slight widening of the upper mediastinum which further increased over the next 10 days, at which time it also revealed a shadow in the right upper lobe. Computed tomography suggested necrotizing mediastinal lymph-nodes. Treatment was begun with rifampicin (600 mg daily) ethambutol (1.2 g daily), pyrazinamide (1.5 g daily) and ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily). Oesophagoduodenoscopy, performed after 3 weeks, revealed several fistulae which, after ingestion of contrast medium, were demonstrated to communicate with the mediastinum, presumably as a result of lymph-node liquefaction. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was demonstrated in gastric juice, sputum and stool only after tuberculostatic drugs had been started.