BACILLARY ANGIOMATOSIS IN AN HIV SERONEGATIVE PATIENT ON SYSTEMIC STEROID-THERAPY

Bacillary angiomatosis is an unusual systemic vascular proliferation s een predominantly in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndr ome, These vascular lesions are due to infection with a Bartonella spe cies, most commonly B. henselae, but sometimes B, quintana. It is trea table and often curable, but without therapy may be life-threatening. Clinically, the disorder often resembles several different vascular di sorders, particularly pyogenic granuloma and Kaposi's sarcoma. We now report a clinically typical patient with bacillary angiomatosis who wa s HIV seronegative, but who had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, w as status-post splenectomy and to whom long-term systemic prednisone h ad been administered.