Cutaneous myiasis due to Cochliomyia hominivorax in a drug user

Myiasis is the condition resulting from the invasion of tissues or organs of man or animals by dipterous larvae. The blowflies (Calliphoridae) of Argentina comprise several species that may cause myiasis by colonizing wounds or infected body orifices, and one specific parasite: Cochliomyia hominivorax. This species often causes traumatic myiasis in cattle, dogs and cats, and it is not rare in humans. The larvae consume living tissues, so they are dangerous unless speedily removed. Immediate operative exploration along with the removal of larvae and primary defect closure is recommended in every case. Here we report a case of myiasis in a scalp wound caused by blunt force trauma to the area, in a male patient with a case history of alcohol and drug abuse. Seventy-one living larvae were extracted from the wound and determined as C. hominivorax in the Forensic Entomology Laboratory. Given the aggressiveness of these larvae, specific and quick diagnosis as well as the application of appropriate treatment is crucial.Fil: Trombetta, Luis. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; ArgentinaFil: Oliva, Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Galache, Viviana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; ArgentinaFil: Bava, Javier. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Troncoso, Alcides. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin

Leishmaniasis in the knee area

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by species leishmaniae, which can produce two types of manifestations: visceral and cutaneous. In south America cutaneous leishmaniasis is more common than visceral leishmaniasis. A case of primary cutaneous leishmaniasis from Bolivia is presented for its rarity. The patient of our case showed an ulcerated lesion of the knee. Montenegro's intradermal test was positive. Giemsa-stained touch preparation of the skin biopsy revealed amastigotes inside macrophages, consistent with leishmaniasis. The patient was treated with meglumine antimoniate intramuscular (20 mg of Sb+/kg/day) three weeks, with complete cicatrization of the lesion.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Leishmaniasis in the knee area

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by species leishmaniae, which can produce two types of manifestations: visceral and cutaneous. In south America cutaneous leishmaniasis is more common than visceral leishmaniasis. A case of primary cutaneous leishmaniasis from Bolivia is presented for its rarity. The patient of our case showed an ulcerated lesion of the knee. Montenegro's intradermal test was positive. Giemsa-stained touch preparation of the skin biopsy revealed amastigotes inside macrophages, consistent with leishmaniasis. The patient was treated with meglumine antimoniate intramuscular (20 mg of Sb+/kg/day) three weeks, with complete cicatrization of the lesion.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Leishmaniasis in the knee area

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by species leishmaniae, which can produce two types of manifestations: visceral and cutaneous. In south America cutaneous leishmaniasis is more common than visceral leishmaniasis. A case of primary cutaneous leishmaniasis from Bolivia is presented for its rarity. The patient of our case showed an ulcerated lesion of the knee. Montenegro's intradermal test was positive. Giemsa-stained touch preparation of the skin biopsy revealed amastigotes inside macrophages, consistent with leishmaniasis. The patient was treated with meglumine antimoniate intramuscular (20 mg of Sb+/kg/day) three weeks, with complete cicatrization of the lesion.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Ebola outbreak in West Africa: a neglected tropical disease

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are remediable injustices of our times. Poverty is the starting point, and the ultimate outcome, of NTD. Ebola is just one of many NTDs that badly need attention. Ebola exacerbates West Africa's poverty crisis. The virus spreading in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has led to food shortages and neglect of other devastating tropical illnesses. A health crisis that was ignored for months until it was out of control is now beginning to get the attention required, if not the resources. So far, the world´s nations have contributed far less than the $ 1 billion. The U.N. estimates would need to control the epidemic before it becomes endemic. Past outbreaks of Ebola have flared up in remote, forested communities, disconnected from much of the outside world. But the outbreak in West Africa has not slowed yet, and it worsens there the chances of it spreading to other countries. Ebola draws attention to NTD. Ebola is not only a health emergency, but also it´s a poverty crisis. The current Global Ebola crisis presents a multitude of challenges in terms of our capacity to respond; the future is even less predictable. Ebola outbreak represents inequity in health as the occurrence of health differences considered unnecessary, avoidable, unfair, and unjust, thus adding a moral and ethical dimension to health inequalities. Health equity does not refer only to the fairness in the distribution of health or the provision of health care; rather, it is linked with the larger issues of fairness and justice in social arrangements

Will there be a cure for HIV/AIDS? Making the dream a reality

It has been more than 30 years since AIDS was introduced in people's daily life, and it is a milestone that causes taboos, myths and prejudices. At that time, a patient told me his feelings, and he was very convincing: “I am horrified of living and afraid of dying.” Three decades later, AIDS infection is not a death sentence anymore. First, doctors could make that infected patients did not die from the disease; then, that the medication which kept them alive was not so toxic. And finally, that the treatments were more comfortable. And once at this point, the possibility that the virus may disappear from the body is a more realistic goal than ever. The story of AIDS has changed and, for the first time, we can foresee in the short term the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Now it is not about whether the cure is possible or not, but about when we will have it. This current momentum, so hard to get, should be maintained. We have never been so close to achieving this goal. Although the end of the pandemic is close, this is not enough. It is worrying that some world leaders have absolved themselves of responsibility for not stopping or at least having understood the explosion of the pandemic as if it was a natural disaster. “Zero tolerance for HIV” requires a profound understanding of the stigma and discrimination of the infected people to finally get rid of the epidemic of fear and the devastation that the pandemic caused

Zika threatens to become a huge worldwide pandemic

The Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits Zika virus (as well as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever) represents a high risk for global transmission. This virus comes from Africa, the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was discovered in 1947 in a rhesus monkey. In May 2015, the first local cases were recorded in Brazil, surpassing 1.5 million cases in December of the same year. By March 2016, local transmission of Zika was recognized in 34 countries. Its clinical condition is similar to dengue febrile illness, although milder. The final geographical distribution area is constantly expanding. Recently, it has been associated with cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela and Suriname. Microcephaly was documented in Brazil. This article discusses some factors that contributed to the spread of Zika virus in South America. Climate change associated with the events of the phenomenon of “El Niño” is also analyzed. The biggest concern is how quickly Zika is spreading around the world and that it could be far more dangerous than previously thought. Zika virus infection, by its explosive potential, has every chance of becoming a global pandemic