Conference Summaries: ICAAC 2001, IDSA 2001, and ASTMH 2001: Part V
May 15, 2002 3 minutes read
Conference Coverage
Editor’s Note: The following summaries represent a selection of papers from those presented at the meetings listed below. It is important to recognize that many of these summaries are extracted only from the published abstract, and it is possible that some of the material presented at the conferences may have differed. The abstracts can be found online at the URLs given. The 41st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Chicago, Ill, Dec. 16-19, 2001; www.icaac.org. The 39th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, San Francisco, Calif, Oct. 25-28, 2001; www.idsociety.org. The 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Atlanta, Ga, Nov. 11-15, 2001; www.astmh.org/ — Stan Deresinski, MD, FACP.
Filaria
The following was reported in a review of recent data concerning lymphatic filariasis: 1) children are commonly infected with the parasite prior to 5 years of age; 2) among life-long residents of filariasis-endemic areas, the principal lesion of lymphatic filariasis is lymphatic vessel dilatation, not obstruction; 3) subclinical lymphangiectasia occurs in virtually all those infected with the parasite; 4) no inflammatory reaction is seen at the site of the living adult worm; 5) secondary bacterial infections (not the parasite itself) are responsible for much of the progression of lymphedema and elephantiasis; and 6) a single 6 mg/kg dose of the antifilarial drug diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is as effective as a full 2- to 3-week course. (ICAAC #597.)
Serological analysis of 64 US military medical personnel deployed for 3 months to a tent compound in Haiti found no evidence of infection with either Wucheria bancrofti or dengue virus. (IDSA #255.)
Also, 59 Egyptians with asymptomatic Bancroftian filariasis (counts > 80/mL blood) were randomized to receive either 1 day or 7 days of treatment with diethylcarbamazine and albendazole. The multidose regimen was more effective in clearing microfilaremia through 6 months, although antigenemia remained detectable. (IDSA #254, ASTMH #791.)
Twenty-four percent of 17,317 Haitians reported an adverse reaction after treatment of lymphatic filariasis with diethylcarbamazine and albendazole, but only 15 were severe enough to warrant hospitalization. (ASTMH #793.) One fourth of Haitian men reported scrotal pain after treatment of lymphatic filariasis with diethylcarbamazine and albendazole. Of these, 70% had tender scrotal nodules. Pain began 1 to 7 days after treatment and persisted for a median of 3 days. Acute hydrocoele developed a mean of 2 days after treatment. Overall, approximately 18% developed painful scrotal nodules, 4% acute hydrocoele, and 0.7% chronic hydrocoele. (ASTMH #792.)
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
Of 27 confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran, 16% of the patients died, although 80% had been given ribavirin. Nosocomial transmission occurred in 2 cases. (IDSA #401.)
A surgeon returned from Sierra Leone to The Netherlands with Lassa fever and died despite treatment with ribavirin. No clinical illness occurred in 121 unprotected contacts and none of 61 tested had serological evidence of asymptomatic infection. (IDSA #262.)
An outbreak of 12 confirmed cases of hantavirus infection among forestry workers in Brazil found that exposures associated with increased risk of disease were the presence of rodents at the worksite or in the vicinity of forest dwellings, as well as inhaling dust inside dwellings. (ASTMH #50.)
Fifteen of 31 patients with confirmed yellow fever in Minas Gerais, Brazil, died. Although most patients were urban dwellers, the evidence suggests sylvan acquisition of infection. (ASTMH #750.)
Rabies
"Disease-related-events" occurred in 23% of travelers to Bali and 29.5% to Goa, with 18.8% and 12.1%, respectively, having resultant temporary limitation in activities. Monkeys in Bali bit 5 tourists, none of whom had received pretravel immunization against rabies, and only 2 received postexposure rabies prophylaxis. (ASTMH #47.)
Two individuals who received HCDV, but not rabies immune globulin, after rabies exposure, died of rabies. (ICAAC #2286.)
Mycobacteria
The estimated crude annual incidence of Buruli ulcer disease in a district of Ghana was 157 per 100,000 population—approximately 50% greater than the estimated incidence of tuberculosis. (ASTMH #351.)
Approximately one half of individuals in Ghana believed that Buruli ulcer was caused by witchcraft or curses. (ASTMH #420.)
Strongyloides
A renal transplant recipient with Strongyloides superinfection and persistent ileus survived after being given ivermectin as an enema preparation. (IDSA #268.)
Cysticercosis
Perilesional edema was observed by MRI in 34.5% of patients with only calcified cysticercal lesions and was associated with seizures and other neurological morbidity in some. (ASTMH #388.)
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