Tropical Medicine Flashcards
What is the bacteria behind diptheria?
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
What is the pathophysiology of diptheria?
Produces exo-toxin, produced by a β-prophage
Exotoxin inhibits protein synthesis by catalyzing ADP-ribosylation of elongation factor EF-2
What are the clinical features of diptheria?
Diptheria membrane on tonsils caused by necrotic mucosal cells.(Pseudomembrane)
Bulky cervical lymphadenopathy
Neuritis
Heart block
What are viral haemorrhage fevers?
Dengue fever
Ebola
Lassa fever
Yellow fever
What are the features of dengue fever?
Fever
Headache - retrobulbar headache
Myalgia, bone pain and arthralgia (‘break-bone fever’)
Pleuritic pain
Facial flushing (dengue)
Maculopapular rash
Haemorrhagic manifestations e.g. - positive tourniquet test, petechiae, purpura/ecchymosis, epistaxis
Red flags:
- abdominal pain
- hepatomegaly
persistent vomiting
clinical fluid accumulation (ascites, pleural effusion)
What causes dengue fever?
Dengue virus is a RNA virus of the genus Flavivirus
Transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito
incubation period of 7 days
What are severe haematological features of dengue fever?
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) resulting in:
thrombocytopenia
spontaneous bleeding
around 20-30% of these patients go on to develop dengue shock syndrome (DSS)
How should dengue fever be investigated and managed ?
serology
nucleic acid amplification tests for viral RNA
NS1 antigen test
Typically:
1. lymphopaenia
2. Thrombocytopenia
3. Raised aminotransferases
What is leprosy?
Granulomatous disease primarily affecting the peripheral nerves and skin. It is caused by Mycobacterium leprae.
What are the features of leprosy?
Patches of hypopigmented skin typically affecting the buttocks, face, and extensor surfaces of limbs
sensory loss
What are the types of leprosy, and their course?
Low degree of cell mediated immunity → lepromatous leprosy (‘multibacillary’)
- Extensive skin involvement
- Symmetrical nerve involvement
High degree of cell mediated immunity → tuberculoid leprosy (‘paucibacillary’)
- Limited skin disease
- Asymmetric nerve involvement → hypesthesia
hair loss
What is the treatment of leprosy?
Triple therapy: rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine for 12 months
What is shistosomiasis What are the two forms of schistosomiasis?
Schistosomiasis Haematobium
Schistosomiasis Mansoni
Schistosomiasis japonicum
What are the features of an active schistosomiasis infection?
Swimmers’ itch
Acute schistosomiasis syndrome (Katayama fever)
- fever
- urticaria/angioedema
- arthralgia/myalgia
- cough
- diarrhoea
- eosinophilia
What is the life cycle of schistosomiasis haematobium?
Deposit egg clusters (pseudopapillomas) in the bladder, causing inflammation. The calcification seen on x-ray is actually calcification of the egg clusters, not the bladder itself.
pseudopapillomas in the bladder, they can cause an obstructive uropathy and kidney damage.
What are schistosomiasis haematobium at risk of long term?
Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder
How is schistosomiasis haematobium treated?
Single oral dose of praziquantel
What is the life cycle of schistosomiasis mansion / japoncium?
Worms mature in liver - hepatosplenomegally/ splenomegaly due to portal system obstruction
Then inhabit the distal colon
What is the life cycle of schistosomiasis mansion / japoncium?
Worms mature in liver - hepatosplenomegally/ splenomegaly due to portal system obstruction
Then inhabit the distal colon
What are schistosomiasis mansion / japoncium at risk of long term?
Liver cirrhosis
Variceal disease
Cor Pulmonale
What bacteria causes botulism?
Clostridium botulinum