Infection due to Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis in two patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Two cases of rhinoscleroma in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who had stayed in an area of endemic Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis are reported. One of the patients presented with oropharyngeal lesions, an unusual clinical picture. Both patients suffered from a major cellular immune deficiency. The importance of Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis infection in AIDS-related oropharyngeal pathology and the possible treatment of such infection in HIV-positive patients are not yet clearly established.