# An unusual association between HIV and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a patient from northeastern Brazil

**Authors:** José Wagner Leonel Tavares-Júnior, Francisco José Basílio, Francisco Edson Buhamra Abreu, Lucas Rodrigues Tomaz dos Santos, Pablo Picasso de Araújo Coimbra, Érico Antonio Gomes de Arruda

PMC · DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2025.104590 · 2025-10-11

## TL;DR

A 53-year-old patient from Brazil was diagnosed with a rare and fatal brain disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

## Contribution

The paper presents a unique case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease confirmed through clinical and diagnostic methods.

## Key findings

- The patient's diagnosis was confirmed using clinical symptoms and diagnostic tests like 14-3-3 protein detection and RT-QuIC analysis.
- Differential diagnoses ruled out other rapidly progressive conditions such as infectious and immune-related diseases.

## Abstract

Prion diseases are significant contributors to rapidly progressive dementia. Among these conditions, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is the most prevalent, characterized by its rarity, lack of treatment options, and rapid progression to fatality. Diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical symptoms and specific alterations detected in brain MRI, EEG, and CSF analysis. The present study details the case of a 53-year-old individual from Fortaleza, Brazil, diagnosed with sporadic CJD, confirmed through clinical presentation and a series of diagnostic evaluations, including 14-3-3 protein detection and RT-QuIC analysis. Differential diagnoses were considered to rule out other rapidly progressing conditions, such as infectious and immune-related diseases, ultimately leading to a likely diagnosis of sporadic CJD.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (MONDO:0005357)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (taxon 9606)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** YWHAQ (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein theta) [NCBI Gene 10971] {aka 14-3-3, 1C5, HS1}
- **Diseases:** sporadic CJD (MESH:C565143), Prion diseases (MESH:D017096), infectious and immune-related diseases (MESH:D003141), CJD (MESH:D007562), dementia (MESH:D003704)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (no rank) [taxon 11676]

## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12547893/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12547893