[Infectious diarrhea in African acquired immunodepression syndrome (AIDS). Apropos of 100 patients studied in Bujumbura (Burundi)].

The authors carried out a prospective survey on 100 cases of AIDS in order to find out the different etiologies of infections diarrhoea in terms of frequency and diagnosis behaviour. 84 out of 100 patients got diarrhoea. All 100 patients had their stools examined, 78 underwent high digestive fibroscopy with irrigation and aspiration of duodenal liquid (IADL), 40 duodenal biopsies. 98 infecting agents were revealed in stool exams, 50 in IADL, 7 at the occasion of histopathological exam of duodenal biopsies. All together, stool exams and IADL gave evidence that Isospora belli and Cryptosporidium are the opportunistic infecting agents most often revealed (16.2 and 13.1 p.c., respectively). The role of yeasts in diarrhoea is not evident, but esophageal candidosis is the most frequent opportunistic digestive infection (48 p.c.). Anguillula is the only intestinal worm appearing to play a role: the role of bacteria and viruses cannot be evaluated precisely, but histopathological study revealed neither an atypical mycobacteriosis nor a virus disease (herpes, cytomegalovirus). If diagnosis appears to be still difficult in 1989 when confronted with AIDS and diarrhoea, it seems highly advisable to examine the stools, to perform high digestive fibroscopy with IADL and biopsies. On the other hand, indications for colonoscopy appear to be restricted.