Tropical Skin Diseases in Children: A Review-Part II.

Tropical skin diseases are infectious conditions influenced by factors such as nutrition, housing, and the environment. Migration patterns have caused these conditions to be seen all around the world, not only in developing countries. Many of these diseases have a different presentation in childhood, which changes the diagnostic approach and management options. In this article, we review some of the most common tropical mycobacterial, protozoan, parasitic, and viral dermatologic conditions in children, including their epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects.

Advances in tropical diseases.

There are six diseases that WHO considers as the major threat in developing countries, leprosy, filariasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis; and of these only malaria does not present skin lesions. These diseases are among the so called tropical diseases found in countries of tropical climate, usually infections and infestations considered exotic and rare in European and North American countries. It is extremely important for doctors of all countries to be able to provide correct pre travel counseling and to make early diagnosis and treatment, thus avoiding dissemination of these dieases to non endemic areas. The authors review some important tropical diseases seen in Brazil, as paracoccidiodomycosis, lobomycosis, myiasis, tungiasis, and cutaneous schistosomiasis and discuss new information about them.

Cutaneous rhinosporidiosis.

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous disease of the mucocutaneous tissue, which clinically presents as polypoidal growths. Cutaneous lesions are infrequent and are generally associated with mucosal lesions. We present a case of cutaneous rhinosporidiosis in association with recurrent nasopharyngeal rhinosporidiosis in a 65-year-old male patient. He presented with dysphagia for solid foods and skin growth on the left side of jaw of 2 years duration. Histopathology of cutaneous and nasopharyngeal lesions revealed numerous thick walled sporangia in a vascular connective tissue along with a granulomatous inflammation confirming the diagnosis of cutaneous and nasopharyngeal rhinosporidiosis. Endoscopic removal of nasopharyngeal polyp was done and he was started on dapsone therapy.

[Cutaneous manifestation of cysticercosis]. / Kutane Manifestation der Zystizerkose.

Cysticercosis, an infection with the larva of Taenia solium, is caused by the accidental ingestion of the parasite's eggs. In many countries of the Third World, cysticercosis, and especially neurocysticercosis, is a widespread problem. A patient from Northern Malawi presented not only with cysticercosis but also with BT leprosy and pityriasis versicolor. Dermatologists should be familiar with the clinical picture of cysticercosis in order to make an early diagnosis in patients from at-risk areas.

Unusual presentation of extragenital cutaneous Schistosomiasis mansoni.

An African patient with a hypopigmented plaque on the face, suggesting clinically tuberculoid leprosy or sarcoidosis, is described. Histology revealed palisading granulomas surrounding ova of Schistosoma mansoni.