BACILLARY ANGIOMATOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH EXTENSIVE ESOPHAGEAL POLYPOSIS- A NEW MUCOCUTANEOUS MANIFESTATION OF ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY DISEASE (AIDS)

Bacillary angiomatosis is a rare infection that has been associated wi th human immunodeficiency virus infection. The causative organism is R ochalimaea henselae and contact with cats is a risk. factor. We presen t a case of a 37-yr-old man who had recent prolonged exposure to a cat and presented with fever, iron deficiency anemia, and guaiac-positive stools who had biopsy-proven bacillary angiomatosis skin lesions and on esophagogastroduodenoscopy had multiple, diffuse, friable, polypoid lesions in the esophagus. The histology of the esophageal polyps was identical to the skin lesions, and the polyps disappeared after treatm ent with erythromycin. Bacillary angiomatosis should be included in th e differential diagnosis of infectious upper gastrointestinal manifest ations associated with AIDS.