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Cytomembranous inclusions in the brain of a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

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Summary

Ultrastructural studies of cells and tissues in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have revealed two distinct cytomembranous inclusions referred to as “tubuloreticular inclusions” (TRI) and “confronting cylindrical cisterns” (CCC). TRI are found most often in leukocytes and endothelial cells in conditions with elevated levels of alpha-interferon, such as viral infections, autoimmune diseases and certain neoplasms. On the other hand, CCC are detected almost exclusively in mononuclear inflammatory cells and are limited to a few conditions, of which AIDS is the most common. CCC have been proposed as an ultrastructural marker for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We describe CCC in mononuclear inflammatory cells in the brain of a patient with AIDS. Finding CCC in brain tissue with no other specific feature such as multinucleated giant cells, nevertheless, should alert the neuropathologist to the possibility that the patient might have AIDS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, 10461, Bronx, NY, USA

    S. Lee & D. W. Dickson

  2. The Rose F. Kennedy for Research in Mental Retardation Human Development, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, 10461, Bronx, NY, USA

    S. Lee & D. W. Dickson

  3. Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, 10461, Bronx, NY, USA

    C. Harris

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, 10461, Bronx, NY, USA

    A. Hirschfeld

  5. Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, 10461, Bronx, NY, USA

    A. Hirschfeld

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  1. S. Lee
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  4. D. W. Dickson
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Lee, S., Harris, C., Hirschfeld, A. et al. Cytomembranous inclusions in the brain of a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Acta Neuropathol 76, 101–106 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687686

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687686

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