ABSTRACT: Histoplasmosis is an important mycosis in the Americas; and in children with no immune
system abnormalities, histoplasmosis is typically a self-limited process. In contrast, in
children with immune problems, disease manifestations are frequently more severe and
include dissemination. From 1984 to 2010, a retrospective study of paediatric patients
who had been diagnosed with histoplasmosis was performed. A total of 45 pediatric cases
of histoplasmosis were identified. The most important risk factor was malnutrition (37%),
followed by environmental exposure (33%). The patients exhibited pulmonary infiltrates
(83%), fever (76%), cough, constitutional symptoms (38%), headache (35%), and lymph
node hypertrophy (33%). Concerning the clinical forms, 64% of the patients presented
with the progressive disseminated form that frequently affected the central nervous
system (48%). Diagnostic laboratory tests indicated that the cultures were positive for
80% of the patients, the agar gel immunodiffusion was reactive in 95%, the M band of
the precipitate was more commonly observed (81%), and the complement fixation tests
were reactive in 88% of the patients. The timely diagnosis of histoplasmosis is important,
and for this reason, it is hoped that the results of this study will lead pediatricians toward
a better understanding of this mycosis in children.COL001370
