Severe and Complicated Malaria due to Plasmodium vivax

Contrary to the widespread belief that severe malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum, malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax infection may also lead to severe clinical manifestations including a plethora of renal, pulmonary, hematologic, neurologic, and multiorgan dysfunction. Anemia and thrombocytopenia are considered as two major important markers of severity during the clinical course of severe P. vivax malaria. In highly endemic areas of P. vivax transmission, early diagnosis is crucial in preventing uncomplicated episodes progressing into severe and complicated clinical forms. In fact, given the wide geographic distribution of P. vivax, there is a large burden of disease, often not adequately acknowledged, and resulting from the combined effect of the large numbers of uncomplicated clinical episodes and the increasingly recognized severe and complicated clinical presentations

Chikungunya, a Global Threat Currently Circulating in Latin America

Chikungunya fever (CHIK) is a highly important arbovirosis currently established in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); its acute and chronic burden is an overlooked issue for policy makers. Disease spread control and proper management of chronic-derived sequelae do not seem like a realistic goal in short- and mid-term. The CHIKV circulating in the Western Hemisphere is closely related to strains from Philippines, China, and Yap (Federated States of Micronesia), and vertical and horizontal transmission of infection has been reported. Pathogenesis is still not well understood, and vaccines are under development yet. Here, we provide a summary of information regarding LAC spread of the disease from a public health, clinical and molecular perspective, particularly from the experience in Colombia

Esperando lo inesperado, la pandemia del milenio… hasta el momento: COVID-19

Carta al Editor (Sin resumen

Cocirculation and Coinfection Associated to Zika Virus in the Americas

Zika virus, a flavivirus, has arrived to Latin America in 2013. It became evident causing epidemics since 2015, first in Brazil and later in other countries in the region, such as Colombia, with a higher peak in 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO), based on cumulated evidence on its association with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly and other birth defects (also the congenital Zika syndrome, CZS), declared for a period of almost a year, an international public health emergency. Epidemics in the region caused around 1 million cases with also additional complications beyond GBS and the CZS, which in patients with comorbidities lead to deaths. Among the events studied in the region, a number of cases with arboviral coinfections/codetection (dengue and chikungunya) were described and published beginning in Colombia and later in Brazil. In addition to that, cocirculation and still ongoing research on antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) are challenges for physicians and public health authorities, given the implications for clinical manifestations and serological diagnosis in patients with previous exposition to other flaviviruses. We reviewed such aspects in this chapter

Accidental ulcer infestation due Tenebrio molitor in an AIDS patient: canthariasis

Canthariasis is a disease of humans caused by the infestation of beetle larvae. It is the second important insectal disease after myiasis. Several species of beetles are reported to cause the disease in gastrointestinal tract, urogenital system, nasal sinuses, ears and faces of mammals. The mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle, is a widespread pest that usually feeds on stored grain. The human infestation by this worm is extremely rarely reported, we described a case of T. molitor infestation in a AIDS patient in Colombia