Answer to Case 658
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 658:Trypanosoma bruceiGiven the travel history and rapid onset of symptoms,T. b. rhodesienseis the most likely parasite present. This case shows very high parasitemia with numerous trypomastigotes seen on the patient ' s thick blood film. Here is the corresponding thin blood film, highlighting some of the key diagnostic features:Note that the motile flagellate form (i.e., the trypomastigote) ofT. bruceidivides by binary fission in the peripheral blood. This is in contrast toTrypanosoma cruzi,the cause of American trypanosomiasis (a.k.a. Chagas disease), in which it is the non-motile t...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - October 24, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 657
This week ' s case features a Giemsa-stained thin blood film from a patient with recent travel to India. Identification? For a BONUS, can you list the different stages in images 1-4 below? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - October 19, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug
Ivermectin is an over 30-year-old wonder drug that treats life- and sight-threatening parasitic infections. Its lasting influence on global health has been so profound that two of the key researchers in its discovery and development won the Nobel Prize in 2015. I ’ve been an infectious disease pharmacist for over 25 years. I’ve also managed patientsRead more …Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug originally appeared inKevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 18, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/jeffrey-r-aeschlimann" rel="tag" > Jeffrey R. Aeschlimann, PharmD < /a > < /span > Tags: Meds Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 657
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 657:Plasmodium vivaxThanks to all of the great comments on this case! There are so many classic features ofP. vivaxhere, that it makes for a fabulous teaching slide. Florida Fan very nicely outlined all of the diagnostic features along with his thought process for coming to the final identification:1/ The ring is fairly large, and the infected red cell is larger than the not infected. As such, there is a predilection for reticulocytes. Either P. vivax or P. ovale.2/ The mature trophozoites are ameboid form, showing them to be highly Vivacious. More than likely P. vivax.3/ The sc...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - October 18, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Yes this is a BFD
And it comes with a good wisecrack from Matthew Yglesias. "Terrible news for the people of Africa, who must now face the oppression and lost liberty that comes with vaccine development. " Malaria kills more than 260,000 African children every year (I wonder if the Right to Life movement has noticed this?) and about as many adults. It also chronically debilitates many adults and does immense economic harm. Treatment resistant strains are a growing problem. The vaccine is perhaps not as highly effective as we would hopebut it makes a big difference. Strong safety profile: To date, more than 2....
Source: Stayin' Alive - October 7, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 656
It ' s time for our monthly case with Idzi Potters and theInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp:The following was seen in a urine sediment from a backpacker returning to Belgium following a 2-month ' s trip in Northern Senegal. During his travels, he reports being bitten by insects, drinking and eating local foods, and swimming in fresh water lakes. He is asymptomatic, but is concerned that he may has picked up a parasite along the way. How would you interpret this finding? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - October 5, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 656
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 656: mite, probable contaminant from the environment. Not likely of human medical significance.As several readers noted, this mite is not one of the 2 human pathogenic mites,Sarcoptes scabeiorDemodex. Instead, it is likely a mite from the environment, such asDermatophagoides, the dust mite. The presence of many squamous epithelial cells in the background would support this idea:You can read the following posts for more information for how to differentiate the various mites found in human specimens:Case of the Week 634: Free-living mite found in stoolCase of the Week 196: Differe...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - October 4, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
A prescription against COVID-19: Telehealth and ivermectin
It ’s been in the news that several telehealth companies are offering patients access to the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, which while rumored by some to be an effective treatment for COVID-19 is unproven. As coronavirus deaths in the United States continue to rise, tracking at over 650,000 deaths t o date and hovering around 1,500 each day,Read more …A prescription against COVID-19: Telehealth and ivermectin originally appeared inKevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 28, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mia-finkelston-and-cynthia-horner" rel="tag" > Mia Finkelston, MD and Cynthia Horner, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 655
This week ' s case features small (~2 micrometer long), oval-shaped objects seen in a corneal scraping. Thanks to Heather for taking these beautiful images. The stain is strong trichrome (chromotrope 2R method). What is the most likely diagnosis? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 27, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 655
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 655: Microsporidia spores. Nucleic acid amplification/sequencing and/or electron microscopy is required for genus and species level identification.Microsporidia that are commonly implicated in corneal infection include Vittaforma corneaeandEncephalitozoon hellem.As noted by Dr. Harsha Sheorey, the Ryan ’s modified Trichrome stain was created by his friend and colleague, Dr Norbert Ryan. This stain has now become a standard staining technique for these organisms, and what was used in this case. The microsporidia spores stain bright red against a blue background. (Sour...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 26, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 654
This week ' s case is of a middle-aged man with a painful lesion on the dorsum of his foot. He recently returned from Brazil, during which he swam in the ocean, walked barefoot on the beach, and ate local foods. An excisional biopsy was performed and submitted to the clinical microbiology lab to rule out a possible parasite. The specimen received was an excised ellipse of skin on which there was a central defect measuring ~ 5 mm in diameter:There was also a separate section of subcutaneous tissue, which contained numerous tan-white ovoid objects:Here is a close-up of these objects:To confirm our suspected diagnosis, ...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 20, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 654
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 654:Tungasp. fleaI encourage you to check out the posts in the Comments section by Kosta and Florida Fan who give us an excellent description of the taxonomy, morphology, epidemiology, and clinical presentation of this parasitic flea. Here are some of the diagnostic features from this case:Tungasp. eggs measuring ~0.6 mm long:Egg within the body of the flea, along with other characteristic features:We weren ' t able to locate the head of the flea, so there is a chance that it is still embedded in the skin of the host. This is not usually of significant concern, however, as ...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 19, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 653
This week ' s case was generously donated by Drs. Alex Fenwick and Julie Ribes at the University of Kentucky. The following structure was retrieved from bronchial washings of a patient with end-stage lung disease due to cystic fibrosis. The next 2 images show both ends of this object.Most likely identification? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 13, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 653
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 653: Not a human parasite; most likely a mucus cast.As noted by Florida Fan, " The object did not have any internal organization nor visible external anatomy. It displays a ribbon like morphology being flat and slender especially at the bend. " Sam had a similar thought and suggested that since the " patient had cystic fibrosis it may be some kind of mucous plug. " To test these hypotheses, we can gently manipulate the object. Mucus usually separates easily whereas a true nematode has a firm, rubbery cuticle and is harder to tear. As CA noted, although not a firs...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 12, 2021 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Is There A Place For Facebook In Healthcare?
Data privacy scandals, help in rigging elections, spreading fake news on COVID and vaccines: Facebook has been through a lot and users are not happy with the social media giant’s performance. However, Mark Zuckerberg’s company does not only have a political and social impact, but it’s also getting quite relevant in healthcare.
We looked around what Facebook currently does in healthcare and evaluated whether those are viable ways to follow in the future.
Facebook: from trust issues to healthcare
The social media machine built on “sophisticated, computer-driven engines for extracting users’ person...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 7, 2021 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Bioethics Security & Privacy AI facebook future Health Healthcare Innovation social media technology VR fake news smart healthcare Mark Zuckerberg Source Type: blogs
