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Editors

HeliSiikamäki
SakariJokiranta
AnuKantele

Introduction to Extra-Intestinal Protozoal Diseases

  • Malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and amoebiasis are important diseases worldwide and account for significant morbidity and mortality in Africa, Asia as well as Central and South America. Doctors worldwide may encounter these diseases when working in endemic regions or when treating visitors to endemic regions, immigrants or patients who have resided in tropical countries.
  • Extra-intestinal protozoal diseases must also be borne in mind when treating immunocompromised patients. For example Toxoplasma encephalitis is typically seen in heavily immunocompromised patients, such as those in the AIDS stage of HIV infection. In immunocompromised patients, leishmaniasisLeishmaniases and trypanosomiases Trypanosomiases, for example, may cause a severe and unusual clinical picture.
  • Toxoplasmosis is known to cause miscarriages and congenital infections worldwide.

Extra-intestinal protozoal diseases

Disease or disease groupMode of transmissionMain symptomsDiagnosisTreatment
Amoebiasis Amoebiasis Faeces-intestineFever and pain at the upper right quadrantImaging studies, antibody or nucleic acid detectionMetronidazole
Cutaneous leishmaniasis LeishmaniasesSandfly biteChronic skin lesionBiopsy or tissue scrapings taken from the edge of the lesion (staining and nucleic acid detection)Surgery or drug therapy
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis LeishmaniasesSandfly biteLesions on the skin and mucous membranesBiopsy or tissue scrapings taken from the edge of the lesion (staining and nucleic acid detection) Drug therapy
Visceral leishmaniasis LeishmaniasesSandfly biteFever, hepatosplenomegaly, anaemia, leucocytopenia and thrombocytopeniaBone marrow biopsy (staining and nucleic acid detection), antibody detectionDrug therapy
Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment of MalariaMosquito biteFever, chills, headacheBlood sampleDrug therapy
Toxoplasmosis ToxoplasmosisCat faeces, soil, undercooked meat
Miscarriage
In congenital infection: CNS damage, sight and hearing disturbances, chorioretinitis
Lymphadenopathy
Encephalitis in immunocompromised patients
Antibody detection, nucleic acid detection, histologyDrug therapy
African sleeping sickness TrypanosomiasesTsetse fly biteFever, lymphadenopathy, myocarditis, meningoencephalitisDetection of trypanosomes in the chancre, blood or CSF, in the late phase antibody detectionDrug therapy
Chagas disease TrypanosomiasesTriatomine biteCardiomyopathy, megaoesophagus, megacolonDetection of trypanosomes in the chancre or blood, in the late phase antibody detectionDrug therapy

Related Keywords ⬆

ATC Code:

P01AB01

Primary/Secondary Keywords