[Report of a case of purulent rhinitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a patient with HIV/AIDS]. / Reporte de 1 caso de rinitis purulenta por Streptococcus pneumoniae en un paciente VIH/SIDA.

This paper reports a case of acute purulent rhinitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a HIV/AIDS patient seen at the Hospitalization Center of "Pedro Kourí" Tropical Medicine Institute. The clinical findings were fever, severe purulent rhinorrea and affected general condition. Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated with standard and advanced diagnosis techniques. Antimicrobial sensitivity test revealed that it was sensitive to cefaloridien, ampicillin, penicillin G and oxacillin. The patient was treated with a dose of 2 g of ampicillin daily for 10 days. The clinical picture of the patient improved and there was a total remission of the symptoms.

[The reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the first Cuban vaccine against human leptospirosis]. / Reactogenicidad e inmunogenicidad de la primera vacuna cubana contra la leptospirosis humana.

A controlled double-blind trial was conducted with the participation of 80 adult volunteers of both sexes, who were randomly divided into groups of 40 individuals each one. The case-base study received the vaccine and the control group was administered placebo to know the safety, the behaviour of reactogenicity, and to star the immunogenicity studies of the first Cuban vaccine against human leptospirosis. The vaccine used in the case-base study was an inactivated and trivalent vaccine containing strains of Leptospira canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae and pomona, since they have the highest circulation in the country. The results obtained showed the inocuity of the vaccine as no adverse severe reactions were detected. The general symptomatology observed was low, where as febricula was the most common general symptom. It appeared during the first 3 days of observation and there were no significant differences between the 2 group. Only a mild pain at the site of the injection was reported as a local symptom, which was more frequent in the vaccinated group than in the control group (7.8 against 1.5%, respectively). The seroconversion obtained was of 29% by microagglutination, and of 34.2% by ELISA. The final results allowed to conclude that this vaccine is safe for human adults at the ages under study, and give the possibility to continue other studies in more advanced stages to complete the requirements for obtaining its license.

[Hemolysis and primaquine treatment. Preliminary report]. / Hemólisis y tratamiento con primaquina. Informe preliminar.

8 patients with paludism diagnosis due to Plasmodium vivax and deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase that should receive antipaludism radical treatment with primaquine were studied. It was determined that 87.5% of the patients presented hemolysis but its relation with the enzymatic activity was not significant (p > 0.05). 50% of the patients could not finish their treatment because of the appearance of important hemolysis. It is concluded that primaquine should not be used indiscriminately among those patients with deficit of glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase.

[Primaquine and travelers from the Arab world. A report and recommendations]. / Primaquina y viajeros del mundo arabe. Reporte y recomendación.

This paper reports on 2 hemolytic serious reactions in 2 Arabian patients because of the use of primaquine as presumptive antimalarial treatment given in Cuba to all travellers from countries where malaria is endemic. Taking into account the non-existence of imported malaria cases in travellers from the Arab-world since more then 15 years and the frequency of individuals presenting with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency it is recommended not to use this therapeutic procedure, and to maintain the rest of surveillance measures to all travellers from such region.

[Effect of primaquine on the elimination of sexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum in vivo]. / Efecto de la primaquina sobre la eliminación de las formas sexuadas de Plasmodium falciparum in vivo.

A study was made on 49 patients, carriers of sexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum, verified through thick smear tests, who received 45 and 90 mg of primaquine base in different schedules selected at random. None of the employed schedules proved better than the traditional one of 45 mg base in a unique dose, although the schedule of 45 mg on the first and third days showed a slight reduction of the time of elimination of the parasitemia. Thus, further studies are recommended. No other factors showed an influence on the time of elimination of the parasitemia.

[Infections and other opportunistic processes in a group of Cuban stage-IV HIV patients]. / Infecciones y otros procesos oportunistas en un grupo de pacientes cubanos con VIH en estadio IV.

Forty Cuban patients affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), belonging to Group IV, assisted during a year at the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute, are reported. Pneumocystis carinii, cryptosporidiosis, mucocutaneous herpes simplex, oral candidiasis and multidermatoma herpes zoster were the most commonly found infections. Other non-opportunistic diseases such as dermatitis seborrhoeica and onychomycosis were also present.