As our
semester comes to a close, we have been covering parasites of all shapes,
sizes, and types. I have really enjoyed
reading the case studies on the CDC website, like the one I shared last week,
and thought that I would continue by sharing another which involves someone who
contracted a parasite during a trip to Africa.
As with any
case study, the narrative and patient history are the most important parts, so
that is where this begins.
Case #362 -
December, 2013
“A 29-year-old female
post-graduate student in Zoology went on an expedition to see the lowland
gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She reported numerous insect
bites while traveling but did take anti-malarial prophylaxis. Approximately one
week after returning home she developed fever. About a month later, she started
experiencing headaches, itchy skin, and swollen lymph nodes and sought medical
attention. A blood specimen was collected; smears made and stained with
Wright-Giemsa.”1
 |
| "Case #362 – December, 2013." DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasitic Diseases of Public Health Concern (Figure D) |
Based off the findings of
the peripheral blood smear and the organisms which were observed as well as the
case history, the diagnosis was Trypanosoma brucei; most probably the Trypanosoma
brucei gambiense subspecies due to the geographic location of where
the individual traveled.1
These organisms are
transferred to humans by the bite of the Tsetse fly, which allows an immature
stage of the organism’s life cycle to be introduced to the human host. Symptoms can range from headaches, like the
individual in the case study, to coma/death once more central nervous system
involvement occurs.
Treatment of this disease
depends on what disease stage that the organism has been able to progress; such
as whether it has crossed the blood brain barrier or is just in the blood
stream.2 The drugs used to
treat this type of infection are typically only available from the Centers for
Disease Control.2 After
treatment, an infected individual will need to have repetitive examinations of
their cerebral spinal fluid in order to rule out a relapse of the disease.2
Works Cited
1.
"Case #362 – December, 2013." DPDx
- Laboratory Identification of Parasitic Diseases of Public Health Concern.
CDC, November 29, 2013. Web. 18 July 2014.
2.
"Parasites - African Trypanosomiasis (also known as Sleeping
Sickness)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC, August 29, 2013. Web. 18 July 2014.
Very interrstjng
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