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Query: UMLS:C0851341 (infestation)
 10,121 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Stings by the imported fire ant almost always lead to dermal wheal and flare reactions followed by sterile pustules at sting sites. Less commonly, large local dermal reactions, pyoderma, anaphylaxis, or neuropathy may occur. Such reactions have previously been associated with contact with the insects out of doors. We present two previously unreported cases of indoor attacks on individuals by imported fire ants. One patient experienced a cerebrovascular accident in association with the attack, whereas the second patient had no obvious sequelae. With those two reports, a total of four such indoor massive sting episodes have appeared in the recent medical literature. Physicians and other individuals living in areas indigenous to the fire ant should be aware that infestation of buildings with fire ants may be associated with attacks on human beings indoors. Individuals with cognitive dysfunction seem to be especially at risk for attacks by fire ants.
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PMID:Medical consequences of multiple fire ant stings occurring indoors. 818 26

After acute infestation with the Chagas disease parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, some patients who are serologically positive develop chronic megacolon and megaesophagus, whereas others are symptom-free. Chagas disease with gastrointestinal involvement involves an inflammatory invasion of the enteric plexuses and degeneration of enteric neurons. It is known that glial cells can be involved in enteric inflammatory responses. The aims were to determine the nature of any difference in lymphocytic invasion, enteric neurons, and enteric glial cells in seropositive individuals with and without megacolon. We have compared colonic tissue from serologically positive individuals with and without symptoms and from seronegative controls. Subjects with megacolon had significantly more CD-57 natural killer cells and TIA-1 cytotoxic lymphocytes within enteric ganglia, but numbers of CD-3 and CD-20 immunoreactive cells were not significantly elevated. The innervation of the muscle was substantially reduced to about 20% in megacolon, but asymptomatic seropositive subjects were not different to seronegative controls. Glial cell loss occurred equally in symptomatic and unaffected seropositive subjects, although the proportion with glial fibrillary acidic protein was greater in seropositive, nonsymptomatic subjects. Development of megacolon after acute infection with T cruzi is associated with maintained invasion of enteric ganglia with cytotoxic T cells and loss of muscle innervation, but changes in glial cell numbers are not associated with progression of enteric neuropathy.
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PMID:Megacolon in Chagas disease: a study of inflammatory cells, enteric nerves, and glial cells. 1843 45