Electron Microscopy Reveals Fungal Cells Within Tumor Tissue from Two African Patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi Sarcoma

Abstract

Electron microscopic investigation of biopsy materials from Kaposi sarcoma (KS) skin lesions of 2 African AIDS patients occasionally revealed fungal cells within the tumor tissue. The spherical cells were surrounded by a triple-layered cell wall and were not encapsulated. The ultrastructural characteristics of the cells resemble those of Candida albicans organisms. Neither patient showed clinical signs of a generalized fungal infection. The presence of Candida albicans in the KS tissue specimens seems to represent an early and asymptomatic stage of cutaneous candidiasis in the 2 severely immunocompromised AIDS patients.

KEYWORDS:

• AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma
• electron microscopy
• fungal cells