Endemia chagásica familiar detectada a consecuencia de un caso de infección congénita / Household chagasic endemia detected as a consequence of a case of congenital infection

During a study on prevalence of parasitic and viral serological markers in pregnant adolescents, a 17-years-old primipara from Polpaico, village near Santiago, gave birth to a normal male newborn in a Santiago hospital. As both of them presented positive an indirect hemaglutination test (IHAT) for Chagas's disease and the corresponding xenodiagnosis (XD), the infection in the infant was considered to be acquired through the placental route. According to recent epidemiologiacal surveys Polpaico is an endemo-enzootic chagasic rural settlement, where 14.7% of dwellings were infested with Triatoma infestans, while triatominae, persons and domestic mammals were found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. One month later the adolescent mother, her son and other 11 consanguineous members of the family were visited in their homes in order to submit each of then to a physical examination and to IHAT for Chagas' disease, and XD to those whose IHAT resulted positive. Thus, in 7 (53.8%) the IHAT was positive and in 4(57.1%) out pf these 7 presented positive the XD, results that as a whole yelded a household chagasic endemics

Loxoscelismo en Chile: estudios epidemiologicos, clínicos y experimentales / Loxoscelism in Chile: epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies

Se presenta un enfoque panorámico de estudios epidemiológicos, clínicos y experimentales referentes a Loxosceles laeta y loxocelismo efectuados en 1955-1988 en Santiago, Chile. Se estudiaron 216 casos de loxoscelismo. Los hechos más relevantes fueron: 52,8% correspondió a mujeres; edad entre 7 meses y 78 años; 84,3% fué loxoscelismo cutáneo (LC) y 15,7% loxoscelismo cutáneo-visceral (LCV); 73,6% sucedió en época calurosa; en 86,6% el accidente ocurrió en la vivienda, especialmente en dormitórios, mientras la persona dormía o se vestía. La araña fué vista en 60,2% de los casos e identificada en laboratório como L. laeta en 17,7% (10,6%) de los 216 casos). Los sitios más frecuentemente afectados fueron las extremidades con 67,6%, lancetazo urente fué el síntoma inicial más frecuente. Dolor, edema y placa livedoide, la cual posteriormente se transformaría en escara necrótica, fueron las manifestaciones locales predominantes. En LCV hematuria y hemoglobinuria fueron constantes, ictericia, fiebre y compromiso de conciencia se presentaron en la mayoría de los casos. Tratamiento: LC con antihistamínicos o corticoides inyectables, LCV con corticoides inyectables. La condición de los pacientes en el último control fué: curación completa en 75,5%, curación con secuela cicatrizal en 8,3%, muerte en 3,7% (todos con LCV) y abandono en 12,5%. Adicionalmente, se ha efectuado una serie de estudios experimentales, tanto in vivo como in vitro para esclarecer aspectos básicos sobre el veneno de L. laeta y el tratamiento del loxoscelismo

Tipos viricos del herpes simple asociados a infecciones genitales primarias y recurrentes en Chile / Viral types of herpes simplex associated with primary and recurrent genital infections in Chile

In view of the different biological behavior of the two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) that may cause genital infection, it is important to identify the virus strain carried as a means of prognosticating evolution of the disease. The new methods of viral typing with specific monoclonal antibodies represent a significant advance in identifying and gaining improved knowledge of these viral agents. This article presents the results obtained in typing virus strains isolated from 75 middle-class patients of both sexes who in 1985 and 1986 sought dermatological treatment at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile for genital lesions which were diagnosed as genital herpes. Approximately 75 percent of the patients were in the 20-39 years age group, with a predominance of females in the 20-39 year subgroup and of males in 30-39 year group. Of the cases studied, 81 percent showed recurrent infection and 19 percent primary infections. Associates with the HSV-1 type was found in 29 percent of primary and in 10 percent of recurring episodes, whereas 90 percent of the cases of recurring herpes and 71 percent of the primary cases were associated with the HSV-2 type. Comparison of the results obtained with data from other countries indicates that the epidemiological situation of herpes genital infection in Chile appears to occupy and intermediate point between that of the U.S. and Japan

Seguimiento de embarazadas de alto riesgo herpético / Follow-up study of pregnant women with high herpetic risk

Se investigó, en un grupo de 25 embarazadas con historia de herpes genital, la frecuencia de reactivaciones de la infección herpética durante el embarazo y la presencia de virus en el canal genital, mediante aislamientos virales periódicos desde las 34 semanas, para decidir la conducta de parto. En 17 casos se originaron episodios genitales herpéticos (15 recurrencias y dos primeiros episodios). En siete embarazadas se aisló virus del canal genital después de las 34 semanas: dos correspondieron a aislamientos en la última semana, y fueron indicación de cesárea. Ochenta por ciento de las cepas aisladas de estas mujeres fueron tipificadas como HSV-2, utilizando anticuerpos monoclonales