Short report: Human infection with Trichinella britovi in Granada, Spain.

An outbreak of trichinellosis caused by ingestion of pork infected with Trichinella britovi occurred in the province of Granada in southern Spain in April-May 2000. Thirty-eight people were affected and 15 of them were hospitalized at the University Hospital of San Cecilio (Granada). The probable source of infection was sausage made from uninspected wild boar meat and inspected pork. Ninety-two percent of the patients had myalgias, 47.6% had diarrhea and/or vomited, 78.6% had periorbital edema, and 76.0% had fever. Twenty-two patients (15 hospitalized and 7 nonhospitalized) were serologically studied. Eosinophil levels were less than 5% of the total leukocyte count in 86.7% of the patients. Levels of creatinine phosphokinase (range = 200-2,213 U/L) and lactate dehydrogenase (range = 560-7,558 U/L) were elevated in 85.7% and 78.6% of the patients, respectively. Sixteen (72.7%) and 20 (90.9%) patients were positive for T. britovi by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot, respectively.

[Usefulness of hepatic biopsy in an internal medicine service]. / Utilidad de la biopsia hepática en un servicio de Medicina Interna.

OBJECTIVES: Study the percentage of clinical successes which have been confirmed by percutaneous hepatic biopsy guided by echography (PHBE) in those diseases which can affect the liver in an Internal Medicine service. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 78 patients were chosen for this study. All of them were admitted to hospital during the last eight years. Each patient had had a PHBE made regarding clinical, analytical and echographic criteria that were necessary to conclude their diagnostic studies. They were distributed into different groups. RESULTS: Patients could be distributed into five different groups. There was a higher percentage of clinical successes on those who suffered from chronic hepatopathy derived from alcohol-addiction and on those with carcinomatous hepatopathies. When corroborating the diagnosis of clinical suspect, the diagnostic profitability of the biopsy proved to get down in the others groups, depending on it was the group of miscellaneous, dissociate cholestasis and, in the last place, unknownly originated fever. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of diseases which can affect the liver in an Internal Medicine service gives PHBE a particular diagnostic character. The diagnosis of clinical suspect was confirmed in 78.2% of the total of cases that made up the different groups. Therefore, PHBE plays a main role in a large amount of hepatic repercussive diseases that are treated in Internal Medicine services where, despite the clinical suspect, a diagnostic corroboration is often required for a right treatment.