Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales

By Diana M. Castañeda-Hernández and Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales

Part of the book: Current Topics in Public Health

By Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Lauren Sofia Calvo-Betancourt, Camila Alarcón-Olave and Adrián Bolívar-Mejía

Echinococcosis or hydatid disease is a near-cosmopolitan parasitic zoonosis caused by the larval stages of cestodes of the genus Echinococcus, whose spectrum of clinical manifestations can vary from asymptomatic infection to death, the liver being the most frequently affected organ. In the absence of an adequate treatment, case fatality rate of affected patients may reach 100%, so clinical suspicion should always be accompanied by a complete workup and a prompt treatment. Like other zoonotic parasitic diseases, echinococcosis is associated with low socioeconomic and cultural levels, especially affecting rural areas of developing countries, not only by the morbidity and mortality it produces, but also by the economic impact associated to health care costs and productivity losses. Despite this, in Colombia and in other South American countries, epidemiological studies of this disease are limited, so it is not known with certainty the incidence, the prevalence, and the burden of the disease. The objective of this chapter is to summarize and describe epidemiological and clinical updated aspects of the disease, focusing on evidences and published research articles on echinococcosis in Colombia, finally questioning if this cestode zoonotic disease has been largely neglected.

Part of the book: Current Topics in Echinococcosis

By Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Jaime Andrés Cardona-Ospina and Wilmer E. Villamil-Gómez

Chikungunya fever (CHIK) is a highly important arbovirosis currently established in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); its acute and chronic burden is an overlooked issue for policy makers. Disease spread control and proper management of chronic-derived sequelae do not seem like a realistic goal in short- and mid-term. The CHIKV circulating in the Western Hemisphere is closely related to strains from Philippines, China, and Yap (Federated States of Micronesia), and vertical and horizontal transmission of infection has been reported. Pathogenesis is still not well understood, and vaccines are under development yet. Here, we provide a summary of information regarding LAC spread of the disease from a public health, clinical and molecular perspective, particularly from the experience in Colombia.

Part of the book: Current Topics in Chikungunya

By Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales, Adriana M. Trujillo, Jorge A. Sánchez-Duque and Ángel A. Escobedo

Part of the book: Giardiasis

By Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales, Adriana M. Trujillo, Jorge A. Sánchez- Duque, Jaime A. Cardona-Ospina, Wilmer E. Villamil-Gómez, Carlos E. Jimenez-Canizalez, Jorge L. Alvarado-Socarras, Juan Carlos Sepúlveda-Arias, Pío López, Matthew Collins, Alberto Paniz- Mondolfi, Antonio C. Bandeira and José Antonio Suárez

Part of the book: Current Topics in Zika

By Jorge A. Sánchez-Duque, Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales, Adriana M. Trujillo, Jaime A. Cardona-Ospina and Wilmer E. Villamil-Gómez

Zika virus, a flavivirus, has arrived to Latin America in 2013. It became evident causing epidemics since 2015, first in Brazil and later in other countries in the region, such as Colombia, with a higher peak in 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO), based on cumulated evidence on its association with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly and other birth defects (also the congenital Zika syndrome, CZS), declared for a period of almost a year, an international public health emergency. Epidemics in the region caused around 1 million cases with also additional complications beyond GBS and the CZS, which in patients with comorbidities lead to deaths. Among the events studied in the region, a number of cases with arboviral coinfections/codetection (dengue and chikungunya) were described and published beginning in Colombia and later in Brazil. In addition to that, cocirculation and still ongoing research on antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) are challenges for physicians and public health authorities, given the implications for clinical manifestations and serological diagnosis in patients with previous exposition to other flaviviruses. We reviewed such aspects in this chapter.

Part of the book: Current Topics in Zika