[Spotted fever group rickettsial disease in Argentinean travelers]. / Rickettsioses do grupo das febres maculosas em viajantes argentinos.

During 1996, four patients that returned from South Africa suffering from rickettsiosis were attended at the Traveler's Medicine practice of our hospital. All of them presented fever, headache and cutaneous scar. One of these presented maculopapular rash, while the rest developed a vesicular rash. The Weil-Felix reaction was negative and the immunofluorescence test for Rickettsia conorii was positive in all cases. None of the patients remembered having been bitten by any insects, however all of them had been staying in or going through a wild environment. All the patients were treated with doxycycline and presented a good outcome.

[Accidents due to lepidoptera with special reference to Lonomia sp]. / Accidentes por lepidópteros con especial referencia a Lonomia sp.

Human poisoning by Lepidoptera (butterflies, caterpillars and moths) has been known to physicians since old times. In the last few years, several factors have been causative of a great number of contacts between different stages of these insects and humans, occasionally with epidemic features. Species of medical interest in Argentina are those related to Megalopygidae, Saturniidae, Hemileucidae, Arctiidae, Notodentidae and Eucliedae families. Among all the species involved, it is important to describe the pathology produced by contact with Lonomia obliqua caterpillar (Saturniidae). The caterpillar Lonomia has several enzymes with procoagulant and fibrinolytic activities, acting on various components of the hemostatic system inducing hemorrhage that can lead to death. In the South of Brazil during the last years caterpillars of this butterfly caused a great number of cases of erucism including some deaths. In the past two years, there have been some cases of poisoning by Lonomia obliqua in Misiones, in the North East of Argentina on the border with Southern Brazil. This presents a potential risk, taking into account the poor knowledge regarding this insect and its venom in Argentina. This brief actualization gives some biochemical, clinical and epidemiologic tools towards understanding human Lepidopterism, an uncommon medical problem in this country.

Accidentes por lepidópteros con especial referencia a Lonomia sp. / [Accidents due to lepidoptera with special reference to Lonomia sp]

Human poisoning by Lepidoptera (butterflies, caterpillars and moths) has been known to physicians since old times. In the last few years, several factors have been causative of a great number of contacts between different stages of these insects and humans, occasionally with epidemic features. Species of medical interest in Argentina are those related to Megalopygidae, Saturniidae, Hemileucidae, Arctiidae, Notodentidae and Eucliedae families. Among all the species involved, it is important to describe the pathology produced by contact with Lonomia obliqua caterpillar (Saturniidae). The caterpillar Lonomia has several enzymes with procoagulant and fibrinolytic activities, acting on various components of the hemostatic system inducing hemorrhage that can lead to death. In the South of Brazil during the last years caterpillars of this butterfly caused a great number of cases of erucism including some deaths. In the past two years, there have been some cases of poisoning by Lonomia obliqua in Misiones, in the North East of Argentina on the border with Southern Brazil. This presents a potential risk, taking into account the poor knowledge regarding this insect and its venom in Argentina. This brief actualization gives some biochemical, clinical and epidemiologic tools towards understanding human Lepidopterism, an uncommon medical problem in this country.

[Congenital Chagas-Mazza disease in Salta, Argentina]. / Enfermedad de Chagas-Mazza congenita en Salta.

A study was carried out on T. cruzi infection in pregnant women in the Guemes area in Salta province; the rate of infection was 12.3%. Of newborn children studied by the microhematocrit technique, 8.8% were diagnosed with Chagas' disease. All of them were treated with benznidazol (5mg/kg/day) for one month; all of them presented anemia, which was interpreted to be an adverse drug reaction. The microhematocrit technique is believed to represent the best option for diagnosis of this disease in newborn children. A diagnostic methodology to follow the course of the infection is proposed.

Ulcera cutánea provocada por hongos del género Fusarium / A cutaneous ulcer induced by fungi of the genus Fusarium

Se presenta el caso de un paciente oriundo y procedente del Paraguay, de 40 años de edad, portador de una ulceración crónica en cara externa del pie izquierdo, de 2 meses de evolución, debida a una hialohifomicosis por Fusarium oxysporum. Se destacan las características clínicas, métodos de diagnóstico y terapeútica de esta micosis, además de las diferentes etiologías a considerar en el diagnóstico diferencial de una úlcera en personas procedentes del área tropical o subtropical.

A case of cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis, due to Fusarium oxysporum, in a 40 years old man is presented. The patient came from Paraguay where he worked in a tropical rural area. His disease had begun 2 months before his admission as a skin ulcer located in the left leg. Clinical characteristics, diagnosis methods, differential diagnosis with other ulcers of the legs in tropical areas as well as therapeutic measures are discussed in this presentation.

[A cutaneous ulcer induced by fungi of the genus Fusarium]. / Ulcera cutánea provocada por hongos del género Fusarium.

A case of cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis, due to Fusarium oxysporum, in a 40 years old man is presented. The patient came from Paraguay where he worked in a tropical rural area. His disease had begun 2 months before his admission as a skin ulcer located in the left leg. Clinical characteristics, diagnosis methods, differential diagnosis with other ulcers of the legs in tropical areas as well as therapeutic measures are discussed in this presentation.

Histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda asociada a linfopenia idiopática / Subacute disseminated histoplasmosis associate to idiopathyc lymphopenia

Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 20 años de raza blanca, procedente de San Francisco (Provincia de Córdoba) que fue internada por padecer una histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda que presentó algunas características habitualmente observadas en el SIDA. Los estudios realizados permitieron excluir a la infección por HIV como responsable de la disminución continua y progresiva de linfocitos CD4+. La enferma fue tratada con itraconazol con buena respuesta clínica, pero presentó una recidiva 3 meses después de haber interrumpido la primera serie de tratamiento. Consideramos que este caso puede ser ubicado dentro del síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirido no causado por el HIV

Histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda asociada a linfopenia idiopática / Subacute disseminated histoplasmosis associate to idiopathyc lymphopenia

Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 20 años de raza blanca, procedente de San Francisco (Provincia de Córdoba) que fue internada por padecer una histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda que presentó algunas características habitualmente observadas en el SIDA. Los estudios realizados permitieron excluir a la infección por HIV como responsable de la disminución continua y progresiva de linfocitos CD4+. La enferma fue tratada con itraconazol con buena respuesta clínica, pero presentó una recidiva 3 meses después de haber interrumpido la primera serie de tratamiento. Consideramos que este caso puede ser ubicado dentro del síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirido no causado por el HIV (AU)

Esporotricosis humana producida por la mordedura de iguana: a propósito de un caso / Human sporothrichosis by an iguana bite: apropos of a case

Los autores presentan un caso de esporotricosis (S. schenckii) humana adquirida por mordedura de iguana, saurio perteneciente a la Clase Reptilia. Esta zoopatía de origen micotico representa una sapro-zoonosis, pues el reservorio natural del hongo es el suelo y tanto el animal como el hombre representan huéspedes ocasionales. No se han documentado observaciones similares en la bibliografía consultada (AU)

Esporotricosis humana producida por la mordedura de iguana: a propósito de un caso / Human sporothrichosis by an iguana bite: apropos of a case

Los autores presentan un caso de esporotricosis (S. schenckii) humana adquirida por mordedura de iguana, saurio perteneciente a la Clase Reptilia. Esta zoopatía de origen micotico representa una sapro-zoonosis, pues el reservorio natural del hongo es el suelo y tanto el animal como el hombre representan huéspedes ocasionales. No se han documentado observaciones similares en la bibliografía consultada