Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo

Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016. It is characterized by the progressive growth of nodules and granulomatous lesions on the legs, arms, and trunk. It is potentially disfiguring and causes disability or amputations in working-age people from marginalized areas. The causative agents can be fungi (eumycetoma) or actinobacteria (actinomycetoma), the latter being the most common in America and Asia. Nocardia brasiliensis is the most important causal agent of actinomycetoma in the Americas...

Numerous tests employed to predict cardiac and functional status are expensive and not widely accessible for a considerable number of patients, particularly those diagnosed with Chagas disease (CD) residing in remote and endemic regions. To date, there is no knowledge of studies that have validated instruments that address functionality in an expanded way, including the biopsychosocial factors in patients with CD. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2...

Acid-fast bacteria can be implicated in skin and soft tissue infections. Diagnostic identification can be challenging or not feasible by routine laboratory techniques, especially if there is no access to the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology. Here, we present two cases of skin and soft tissue infections caused by two different acid-fast bacteria, Nocardia brasiliensis and Mycobacterium marinum. They both grew on Löwenstein-Jensen medium, Sabouraud agar medium and blood agar medium...

AIDS-related disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) can cause septic shock and multiorgan dysfunction with mortality rates of up to 80%. A 41-year-old male presented with fever, fatigue, weight loss, disseminated skin lesions, low urine output, and mental confusion. Three weeks before admission, the patient was diagnosed with HIV infection, but antiretroviral therapy (ART) was not initiated. On day 1 of admission, sepsis with multiorgan dysfunction (acute renal failure, metabolic acidosis, hepatic failure, and coagulopathy) was identified...

Oral myiasis is a rare parasitic disease that requires immediate treatment once diagnosed. However, no standard treatment protocol can be found in the literature. Through a clinical-surgical report, we present the case of an 82-year-old man with lesions extending through the vestibule and alveolar ridge of the maxilla on both sides, in addition to occupying a large part of the palate, with a considerable number of larvae. The patient was initially treated with a single dose of systemic ivermectin (6 mg orally) and topical application of a tampon soaked in ether...

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Rhodnius prolixus is the most important vector of Trypanosoma cruzi in the northern part of South America. The compound eyes in adults of R. prolixus are involved in the nocturnal flight dispersion from sylvatic environments into human dwellings. During this behavior, the artificial lights play an important role in attracting R. prolixus; however, it is still not clear whether the compound eyes of this species use different visible wavelengths as a cue during active dispersion. We applied electrophysiological (electroretinography or ERG) and behavioral (take-off) experiments in a controlled laboratory setting to determine the spectral sensitivity of the compound eyes and the attraction of R...

Dogs are considered to be the main domestic reservoir associated with the transmission of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi to humans in endemic areas of visceral leishmaniasis in America. However, little is known about the role of canines as a source of infection in endemic areas of nonulcerated cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the role of dogs as a possible reservoir of the parasite in Southern Honduras. Dogs (n = 107) living with individuals affected by NUCL were clinically examined and biological material was collected for parasitological and immunological diagnosis...

The treatment of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp) strains is difficult due to the limited antimicrobial options and high mortality. There are many reports on intracranial infections caused by CR-Kp, but only a few on brain abscesses caused by CR-Kp. Here, we present a case of brain abscess caused by CR-Kp successfully treated with combined antibiotics. A 26-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital due to high fever and headache. His past medical history includes a surgical intervention due to an acute subdural hematoma, performed at an external healthcare center...

We report a case of COVID-19-associated meningoencephalitis with a fatal outcome in a male patient with concomitant influenza A, who had been hospitalized at the beginning of 2022, in the Northeastern region of Brazil. He died due to cardiopulmonary arrest after developing status epilepticus on the third day of hospitalization. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in cerebrospinal fluid and Influenza A was detected in the nasopharyngeal swab. Meningoencephalitis due to COVID-19 is a rare manifestation and physicians must be aware of this complication, mainly during the pandemic...

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is usually recommended from 24 months after a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Some authors have demonstrated that the MMR vaccination can be safe from 12 months post-HSCT in non-immunosuppressed patients, as recommended by the Brazilian National Immunization Program/Ministry of Health, since 2006. The objectives of this study were to evaluate when patients received MMR vaccine after an HSCT in our care service and if there were reports of any side effects...

Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1854) was reported in Brazil for the first time in 1986 and has shown marked expansion throughout the Brazilian territory. During a routine activity to control dengue fever conducted by the Division of Entomology of the Municipal Health Department in Rio Branco city, adults and immatures of Culicidae were collected in a peri-urban area. The identified Culicidae forms indicated that they belonged to the species Ae. albopictus. This is the first official record of the presence of Ae...

Toxoplasmosis is an infection of vast worldwide distribution whose etiologic agent is Toxoplasma gondii. This disease can cause problems ranging from mild symptoms to serious conditions, such as encephalitis, miscarriage and blindness. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to perform a diagnosis with reproducible techniques in order to obtain a good prognosis. The aim of this review was to analyze the efficiency of toxoplasmosis diagnostic techniques based on sensitivity and specificity results. Five research platforms in English language were used (Eric, Elsevier, Google Scholar, PubMed and SciELO), which contained data on the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis...

Since SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) has been labeled as a pandemic, it took the spotlight in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with acute respiratory and systemic symptoms. Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonoses in the world, yet it is mainly a disease of differential diagnosis for places that do not have it as an endemic. Due to the high burden of COVID-19 on the healthcare field, patients suffering from other infections may have been inadvertently neglected. COVID-19 infection can mimic other infectious diseases and can confuse physicians in their search for a confirmatory diagnosis...

Brazil is a great source of arbovirus diversity, mainly in the Amazon region. However, other biomes, especially the Atlantic Forest, may also be a hotspot for emerging viruses, including Bunyaviruses (Negarnaviricota: Bunyavirales). For instance, Vale do Ribeira, located in the Southeastern region, has been widely studied for virus surveillance, where Flavivirus, Alphavirus and Bunyaviruses were isolated during the last decades, including Bruconha virus (BRCV), a member of Orthobunyavirus genus Group C, in 1976...

Vaccination coverage has been dropping in Brazil and other countries. In addition, immune responses after vaccination may not be homogeneous, varying according to sociodemographic and clinical factors. Understanding the determinants of incomplete vaccination and negative antibody test results may contribute to the development of strategies to improve vaccination effectiveness. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of vaccine adherence, factors associated with incomplete vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and hepatitis A, and factors associated with the seronegative test results for measles, mumps and hepatitis A at 2 years of age...

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and is genetically classified in six discrete typing units (DTUs). The isolates reported in Mexico are generally associated with DTU I. We presented a case of a prolonged cutaneous lesion in a Mexican man, caused by DTU II in coinfection with Bacillus velezensis and Corynebacterium sp. The patient assessment included a complete clinical history, physical exam, laboratory tests, and a skin biopsy. In the facial tissues, intracellular parasites were revealed...

Immune exhaustion and senescence are scarcely studied in HIV-pediatric patients. We studied the circulatory CD8 T cells activation/exhaustion and senescent phenotype of children and adolescents vertically infected with HIV or uninfected controls based on the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR), CD38, T cell immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) domain (TIGIT), programmed death 1 (PD-1) and CD57 by flow cytometry, during approximately one year. Eleven HIV-infected (HI) and nine HIV-uninfected (HU) children/adolescents who received two doses or one dose of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (MenC), respectively, were involved in this study...

Detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is important, especially in high-risk populations including healthcare workers (HCWs). QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) is a new version of the interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) to replace the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT). However, data on the use of QFT-Plus for LTBI detection in high TB-burden countries are limited. This study was conducted in a TB-endemic setting in Thailand. HCWs were enrolled in the study and underwent both tests during the annual health screening...

Rare emerging pathogens such as Saprochaete clavata are associated with invasive fungal diseases, high morbidity, mortality, rapidly fatal infections, and outbreaks. However, little is known about S. clavata infections, epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, biofilms, and disease outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe a new case of severe S. clavata infection in a patient diagnosed at a referral children's hospital in Brazil, including antifungal minimal inhibitory concentration, S. clavata biofilm characterization, and molecular characterization...