Polymicrobial cholangitis and liver abscess in a patient with the acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome

Cholangitis/cholangiopathy associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, low-grade feve r, cholestasis, and sometimes areas of focal or diffuse dilatation of the b ile ducts that may be apparent on noninvasive imaging studies. Although the etiology of this biliary disease may be multifactorial, it appears to be t he result of immunosuppression and/or secondary opportunistic infections ra ther than a direct cytopathic effect of HIV itself. Various opportunistic p athogens, including cytomegalovirus, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter fetus, and Candida albicans, have been implicated as causes of HIV-associated chol angitis, We report an unusual case of polymicrobial cholangitis and liver a bscess in a patient with HIV infection.