Pythiosis in Humans

The following background data are abstracted from Gideon www.GideonOnline.com Primary references are available on request. Human pythiosis was first described in Thailand, in 1987; and thirty-two cases had been published worldwide as of 2002.  Most cases are reported from tropical and subtropical regions; however, human infection has also been encountered in United States, Israel and Australia.  The principal pathogen is identified as Pythium insidiosum, and at least one case of Pythium aphanidermatum infection has been reported. Most case reports of pythiosis are published from Thailand, which accounted for 78% of published reports to 2002 – over 90% of these in farmers. Pythium insidiosum is identified in irrigation water in endemic agricultural areas; and 64% of soil samples in endemic areas contain the organism. 102 cases of human infection were identified in Thailand through active case finding during 1985 to 2003 – 59% vascular, 33% ocular, 5% cutaneous / subcutaneous and 3% disseminated. Natural infection of dogs, cats, cattle, horses, and other mammals is described in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela), Central America and the Caribbean (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, and Nicaragua), North America (the United States, notably in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas), Australia and Asia (India, Indonesia, Japan, New Guinea, New Zealand, North Korea, and Thailand).  A single case (dog in Mali) had been reported i...
Source: GIDEON blog - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: General Source Type: blogs