Cuban parasitology in review: a revolutionary triumph.

Although the population of Hispaniola, Cuba's most similar neighbour in the Caribbean, continues to be threatened by parasitic diseases (including malaria), many tropical parasitic infections in Cuba have been eliminated or controlled. However, some parasitic infections remain important in the Cuban population, and the occurrence of vectors and the high possibility of introduction of parasites mean that Cuban diagnosticians must remain alert. Some key aspects of human parasitology in Cuba are reviewed here, including historical information, comparative data from Hispaniola and Jamaica, and how Cuba strives to maintain and improve its control against parasitic infections. Data from recent key novel parasitology research conducted in Cuba are also described.

Emergencia de un nuevo patógeno: Cyclospora cayetanensis en pacientes infectados por el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana / Emergence of a new pathogen: Cyclospora cayetanensis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus

The emergence of a new pathogen Cyclospora cayetanensis as a cause of clinical disease in immunosuppressed hosts is related with prolonged, severe and highly recurrent diarrheas. This paper reports two Cuban cases of cyclosporiasis associated with infection from human immunodeficiency virus in which non sporulated oocysts of Cyclospora cayetanensis were detected in feces by modified Zielhl Neelsen's technique. The most significant clinical symptoms were chronic diarrheas and loss of body weight, with CD4 levels below 200 cells per mm3. The occurrence of severe digestive symptoms in patients with Cyclospora cayetanensi and important immune compromise backed up the concept that this pathogen may act as a new opportunistic pathogen in patients with HIV.