Bacillary angiomatosis in HIV-infected patients: report of three cases with different clinical courses and identification of Rochalimaea quintana as the aetiological agent.

Three cases of cutaneous bacillary angiomatosis in HIV-infected patients are reported. They differed profoundly with respect to the extent of the lesions and the clinical course. In two cases, Rochalimaea quintana was identified by direct sequencing of the DNA amplified with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), whereas an easy, rapid method based on the restriction length of polymorphism analysis of PCR products (PCR-RFLP) was used in the third case. This report illustrates the variations in clinical presentations and evolutive profiles in patients with bacillary angiomatosis, and confirms the causal role of R. quintana in this disease.