What is a common treatment for disseminated histoplasmosis in HIV patients?

Disseminated histoplasmosis in HIV patients is a serious condition that typically requires aggressive treatment, particularly because individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, are at higher risk for severe manifestations of the infection. The standard initial treatment for disseminated histoplasmosis involves intravenous amphotericin B, especially in cases that are severe or life-threatening. This antifungal is effective for quickly reducing the fungal load in the body.

After stabilizing the patient and reducing the load of the infection, a switch to oral itraconazole is usually made for long-term maintenance therapy. Itraconazole is effective for preventing relapses of histoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients and helps maintain adequate fungal control after the initial phase of treatment.

Other options are not suitable for this scenario. Oral fluconazole may not be effective against histoplasmosis, particularly in disseminated cases. Topical antifungals are inadequate for systemic infections like disseminated histoplasmosis which necessitates systemic therapy. Intravenous acyclovir is antiviral and is indicated for viral infections, such as herpes simplex or varicella-zoster, but not for fungal infections like histoplasmosis.