HIV and HTLV-1 Infection
The worldwide epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality. Children with this disorder develop a wide variety of cutaneous manifestations, which often correlate with the degree of immunosuppression. Skin findings in children with HIV infection include bacterial, viral and fungal infections, infestations, inflammatory disorders, severe drug reactions and neoplasms. Infection with human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-1, a separate disorder, is also epidemic in several regions of the world. The skin manifestation of HTLV-1 in children is infective dermatitis, a form of severe infantile eczema. The presence of this skin disorder, which mostly affects the face and scalp, is the result of chronic and recurrent infection with Staphylococcus aureus.
