The flukes, or trematodes, are long-lived parasites that can cause human disease by mechanical obstruction and by inciting local inflammatory responses in affected organs ( Table 48.1 ). Blood flukes ( Schistosoma spp.), hepatobiliary flukes ( Clonorchis sinensis , Opisthorchis…
General Considerations Medically important worms belonging to the phylum Nematoda (roundworms) parasitize the gastrointestinal tract of humans. It is estimated that 60% of the world population is infected with at least one intestinal helminth. The worms are commonly acquired through…
International travel often brings us into contact with multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms (MRDOs), especially bacteria. These germs may or may not colonize or infect the traveler, but when they do, they present challenges to the clinician. This chapter will focus on…
In 1977, Steere and co-workers reported on an epidemic of arthritis in the region of Old Lyme, Connecticut. This breakthrough work catalyzed a flurry of studies that soon described Ixodes ticks as the vector, identified the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi as…
Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Austin L. Spitzer for his contribution to this chapter in the previous edition. Abstract Hydatid cyst disease or echinococcosis is a parasitic infection caused by the Echinococcus tapeworm larvae. Of the seven…