Biomedical subjects

Barbara Skoryna-Karcz

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara Skoryna-Karcz.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

[Visceral leishmaniasis].

Leishmanioses are widespread in 88 countries of the tropical and subtropical zone, including regions of the Mediterranean Sea basin of Southern Europe. Actually, approximately 350 million of people live in Leishmania endemic areas and about 12 million of individuals are infected. Visceral leishmaniosis (kala-azar disease, tropical splenomegaly) is caused by at least 3 species of Leishmania protozoa: L. donovani, L. infantum and L. chagasi. The incidence of the disease is estimated at 500,000 new cases annually. The infection is transmitted by Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia mosquitos bites, in which intestines forms invasive to humans are developed. Leishmania spp. have a predilection to the reticulo-histiocytary system cells, leading to their proliferation and disruption, and after spreading to the circulation they invade spleen, liver and bone marrow. Visceral leishmaniosis should be suspected in travelers returning from tropical and subtropical areas with signs of splenomegaly and twice temperature spikes in a day. We reported a case of the kala-azar disease in the 22 year-old Polish patient seasonally working in Italy. The clinical picture was expressed by two daily pikes of fever proceeded by chills, excessive sweat, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, general weakness, abdominal pain and nausea. The Leishmania infection was complicated by candidiosis. Laboratory tests showed anaemia, thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, hypergammaglobulinaemia and a suppression of immunological cellular response. The diagnosis was confirmed by a presence of amastigota forms in macrophages of the bone marrow aspirate and a detection of specific antibodies to L. infantum by Westernblotting. The patient was successfully treated with Glucantime.

Africa↗

PubMed2002

[Diagnostic difficulties in febrile travellers returning from the tropics. Two cases of typhoid fever imported from India].

Typhoid fever is an acute infectious disease caused by Salmonella enterica serotype typhi. The infection is responsible for endemic or epidemic outbreaks in tropical and subtropical countries, especially in Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central and South Africa. Latin America, and it occurs sporadically in Poland. We reported two cases of imported typhoid fever after travelling to India and Nepal. In the tourists returning from the area hyperendemic for malaria, visceral leishmaniosis, amoebiasis and haemorrhagic fevers and not following tropical hygiene measures, persistent fever was a source of difficulties in differential diagnosis. In the first case, lack of anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis in the presence of anaemia and thrombocytopenia strongly suggested Plasmodium spp. infection. Two daily peaks of fever with splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, leucopenia, high transaminases levels and co-existing positive serology for L. donovani pointed to visceral leishmaniosis. Late occurrence of specific anti-S. typhi agglutinins in the Widal test, cross-reactivity with S. paratyphi A and negative urine bacteriological culture were observed. In the second case, gastrointestinal disturbances, including pain, abdominal tenderness and diarrhoea gave a suspicion of amoebic colitis. Stool and urine cultures were negative for S. typhi and cross reactions with S. paratyphi A and C were reported. Typhoid fever was finally confirmed in both patients by an isolation of S. typhi from peripheral blood cultures. The effectiveness of treatment of choice with ciprofloxacin or ceftriaxone in a case of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of S. typhi was documented.

Abdominal Pain↗