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

Eosinophilic meningitis, also named human nervous angiostrongyliasis, results from the infestation of the Nervous System by larvae of Angyostrongylus Cantonensis realizing there a parasitic deadlock. The Authors studied 54 patients whose main complaints were severe and lasting headache, and paresthesias. A meningitic syndrome is not always encountered and a facial paralysis of the lower motor neuron type has been noted in a few patients. Study of the Cerebrospinal fluid shows pleiocytosis with a variable percentage of eosinophiles. Complete recovery is usual after a couple of weeks and the prognosis can be given as excellent despite of the fact that no specific therapy is known at the present time.
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PMID:[Eosinophilic meningitis (author's transl)]. 60 Jul 53

An outbreak of unexplained and severe kidney disease, "Mesoamerican Nephropathy," in mostly young, male sugar cane workers emerged in Central America in the late 1990's. As a result, an estimated 20,000 individuals have died, to date. Unfortunately, and with great consequence to human life, the etiology of the outbreak has yet to be identified. The sugarcane fields in Chichigalpa, Chinandega, Nicaragua, have been involved in the outbreak, and during our initial investigation, we interviewed case patients who experienced fever, nausea and vomiting, arthralgia, myalgia, headache, neck and back pain, weakness, and paresthesia at the onset of acute kidney disease. We also observed a heavy infestation of rodents, particularly of Sigmodon species, in the sugarcane fields. We hypothesize that infectious pathogens are being shed through the urine and feces of these rodents, and workers are exposed to these pathogens during the process of cultivating and harvesting sugarcane. In this paper, we will discuss the epidemic in the Chichigalpa area, potential pathogens responsible for Mesoamerican Nephropathy, and steps needed in order to diagnose, treat, and prevent future cases from occurring.
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PMID:Mesoamerican nephropathy: a neglected tropical disease with an infectious etiology? 2632 26

The literature on chronic pruritus, paresthesia and delusional infestation indicates that a wide variety of conditions ranging from AIDS to vitamin deficiencies may cause these symptoms. In many, or perhaps most of these cases, activation of itch pathways seems to be the underlying cause of the skin sensations and perhaps even the visual hallucinations characteristic of delusional infestation. The principle difference between diagnoses of chronic pruritus and delusional infestation appears to lie in the patient's interpretation of the cause of the symptoms, rather than underlying physiological differences. Delusional infestation, paresthesia and chronic pruritus must be considered symptoms of underlying conditions.
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PMID:Delusional Infestation and Chronic Pruritus: A Review. 2633 9