FOCAL LESION OF AFRICAN HISTOPLASMOSIS PRESENTING AS A MALIGNANT GASTRIC-ULCER

We describe the case of a localized lesion of African Histoplasmosis, presenting as a gastric ulcer, with radiological and endoscopic featur es suggesting malignancy, that was submitted to surgery. Histologic ex amination of the resected specimen revealed typical yeasts of Histopla sma duboisii. There where no clinical, radiological or endoscopic sign s of disseminated disease and conventional antifungal therapy was not prescribed. The patient has been followed for 11 years now, without ev idence of relapse. There are fete reports of gastrointestinal Histopla smosis, and even fewer specifically caused by H. Duboisii. Previous de scriptions of gastric ulcer in immunocompetent hosts are related to di sseminated forms of American Histoplasmosis. Although focal digestive lesions have been found in African patients, there is no available dat a on the incidence of gastric ulcer as a presenting sign of the diseas e.