ABSTRACT
In the recent years the spectrum of infectious esophagitis in childhood has expanded, owing to the emergence of new conditions, such as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the advancement in therapy and survival of patients transplanted and treated with immunosuppressive drugs, and the improvement in endoscopic and microbiological techniques. The most common infectious causes of esophagitis are fungal, viral, bacterial and, more rarely, protozoal. Primary esophageal infection is quite rare in otherwise normal subjects without permissive factors and most cases of infectious esophagitis are described in immunocompromised patients.
