Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that either occur uniquely in tropical and subtropical regions or are either more widespread in the tropics or more difficult to prevent or control.

Many infections that are classified as "tropical diseases" used to be endemic in countries located in temperate or even cold areas. That was the case for leprosy, cholera, malaria, hookworm infestations, amoebiasis, among others. The disappearance of those diseases from developed countries was primarily caused by improvements in housing, diet, sanitation, and personal hygiene. Since climate is not the main reason why those infections remain endemic in tropical areas, there is a trend towards renaming this speciality as "Geographic Medicine".

See also

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• Tropical disease

Organizations

• The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Medical specialties

More on [ Tropical medicine ]

pubmed: 0002-9637

Reviewers.
Reviewers. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):182-6 Authors: PMID: 22232471 [PubMed - in process]
Persistence of Viral RNA in Chikungunya Virus-Infected Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes after Prolonged Storage at 28{degrees}C.
Mavale M, Sudeep A, Gokhale M, Hundekar S, Parashar D, Ghodke Y, Arankalle V, Mishra AC Persistence of Viral RNA in Chikungunya Virus-Infected Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes after Prolonged Storage at 28{degrees}C. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):178-80 Authors: Mavale M, Sudeep A, Gokhale M, Hundekar S, Parashar D, Ghodke Y, Arankalle V, Mishra AC Abstract Abstract. Experiments were conducted to determine the persistence of chikungunya viral (CHIKV) RNA in experimentally infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes stored for prolonged periods at 28°C. Intra-thoracically inoculated mosquitoes with confirmed positivity were killed by quick freezing at -80°C, applied to sticky tape, and stored at 28°C with 80 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). At weekly intervals, five mosquitoes were removed from the tape randomly and assayed individually for detection of viral RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). CHIKV RNA was detected up to 12 weeks in dry mosquitoes by RT-PCR. Virus could not be isolated either in cell culture or in the suckling Swiss-albino mouse system at any stage. This study demonstrated the persistence of CHIKV viral RNA up to 12 weeks when stored at 28°C with RH 80 ± 5%. This finding will have significance in CHIKV surveillance programs in mosquito populations or field-based studies in countries where maintenance of a cold chain is a concern. PMID: 22232470 [PubMed - in process]
Chikungunya and Dengue Fever among Hospitalized Febrile Patients in Northern Tanzania.
Hertz JT, Munishi OM, Ooi EE, Howe S, Lim WY, Chow A, Morrissey AB, Bartlett JA, Onyango JJ, Maro VP, Kinabo GD, Saganda W, Gubler DJ, Crump JA Chikungunya and Dengue Fever among Hospitalized Febrile Patients in Northern Tanzania. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):171-177 Authors: Hertz JT, Munishi OM, Ooi EE, Howe S, Lim WY, Chow A, Morrissey AB, Bartlett JA, Onyango JJ, Maro VP, Kinabo GD, Saganda W, Gubler DJ, Crump JA Abstract Abstract. Consecutive febrile admissions were enrolled at two hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania. Confirmed acute Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Dengue virus (DENV), and flavivirus infection were defined as a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result. Presumptive acute DENV infection was defined as a positive anti-DENV immunoglobulin M (IgM) enzyme-linked immunsorbent assay (ELISA) result, and prior flavivirus exposure was defined as a positive anti-DENV IgG ELISA result. Among 870 participants, PCR testing was performed on 700 (80.5%). Of these, 55 (7.9%) had confirmed acute CHIKV infection, whereas no participants had confirmed acute DENV or flavivirus infection. Anti-DENV IgM serologic testing was performed for 747 (85.9%) participants, and of these 71 (9.5%) had presumptive acute DENV infection. Anti-DENV IgG serologic testing was performed for 751 (86.3%) participants, and of these 80 (10.7%) had prior flavivirus exposure. CHIKV infection was more common among infants and children than adults and adolescents (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, P = 0.026) and among HIV-infected patients with severe immunosuppression (OR 10.5, P = 0.007). CHIKV infection is an important but unrecognized cause of febrile illness in northern Tanzania. DENV or other closely related flaviviruses are likely also circulating. PMID: 22232469 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Evaluation of the 2009 WHO Dengue Case Classification in an Indonesian Pediatric Cohort.
van de Weg CA, van Gorp EC, Supriatna M, Soemantri A, Osterhaus AD, Martina BE Evaluation of the 2009 WHO Dengue Case Classification in an Indonesian Pediatric Cohort. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):166-70 Authors: van de Weg CA, van Gorp EC, Supriatna M, Soemantri A, Osterhaus AD, Martina BE Abstract Abstract. The classification of dengue virus-infected patients continues to be a challenge to researchers and clinicians in the field. The accuracy of the 1997 World Health Organization (WHO) dengue case definition has been debated for a decade, because the definition was very stringent, for instance, several researchers showed that apparently severe cases were misclassified as not severe. Therefore the WHO issued revised guidelines in 2009. Here, we retrospectively compared the performance of the WHO case definition of 2009 with the WHO case definition of 1997 in a detailed documented pediatric cohort from Indonesia. Intensive treatment intervention was used as an indicator of severity of disease. In line with our expectations, the 2009 WHO case classification proved to be significantly more specific, albeit less sensitive than the WHO case classification of 1997. We conclude that the revised classification is promising both from research and clinical perspectives, but validation of the classification criteria still needs to be addressed. PMID: 22232468 [PubMed - in process]
Virological surveillance of dengue in saint martin and saint barthelemy, French west indies, using blood samples on filter paper.
Matheus S, Chappert JL, Cassadou S, Berger F, Labeau B, Bremand L, Winicki A, Huc-Anais P, Quenel P, Dussart P Virological surveillance of dengue in saint martin and saint barthelemy, French west indies, using blood samples on filter paper. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):159-65 Authors: Matheus S, Chappert JL, Cassadou S, Berger F, Labeau B, Bremand L, Winicki A, Huc-Anais P, Quenel P, Dussart P Abstract Abstract. To strengthen active dengue surveillance in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, two French Caribbean islands, we evaluated the epidemiological usefulness of collecting blood samples from NS1-positive dengue patients on filter paper to identify the dengue serotypes circulating in these regions during a 27-month period. This approach allowed dengue serotypes to be identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in 90.1% of the total set of 666 samples analyzed and, in 95.5% of the samples collected during the acute phase of the disease. This prospective virological surveillance using blood samples absorbed onto filter paper, which were stored at 4°C and shipped at ambient temperature to a specialized laboratory for analysis, allowed us to avoid the logistic and financial costs associated with shipping frozen venous blood samples. This surveillance system offers a low-cost alternative for reinforcing dengue prevention in areas where specialized laboratories do not exist, notably by facilitating the early detection of potentially new dengue serotypes. PMID: 22232467 [PubMed - in process]
Trends in Clinical Diagnoses of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever among American Indians, 2001-2008.
Folkema AM, Holman RC, McQuiston JH, Cheek JE Trends in Clinical Diagnoses of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever among American Indians, 2001-2008. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):152-8 Authors: Folkema AM, Holman RC, McQuiston JH, Cheek JE Abstract Abstract. American Indians are at greater risk for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) than the general U.S. population. The epidemiology of RMSF among American Indians was examined by using Indian Health Service inpatient and outpatient records with an RMSF International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis. For 2001-2008, 958 American Indian patients with clinical diagnoses of RMSF were reported. The average annual RMSF incidence was 94.6 per 1,000,000 persons, with a significant increasing incidence trend from 24.2 in 2001 to 139.4 in 2008 (P = 0.006). Most (89%) RMSF hospital visits occurred in the Southern Plains and Southwest regions, where the average annual incidence rates were 277.2 and 49.4, respectively. Only the Southwest region had a significant increasing incidence trend (P = 0.005), likely linked to the emergence of brown dog ticks as an RMSF vector in eastern Arizona. It is important to continue monitoring RMSF infection to inform public health interventions that target RMSF reduction in high-risk populations. PMID: 22232466 [PubMed - in process]
Multiplex Assay for Species Identification and Monitoring of Insecticide Resistance in Anopheles punctulatus Group Populations of Papua New Guinea.
Henry-Halldin CN, Nadesakumaran K, Keven JB, Zimmerman AM, Siba P, Mueller I, Hetzel MW, Kazura JW, Thomsen E, Reimer LJ, Zimmerman PA Multiplex Assay for Species Identification and Monitoring of Insecticide Resistance in Anopheles punctulatus Group Populations of Papua New Guinea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):140-51 Authors: Henry-Halldin CN, Nadesakumaran K, Keven JB, Zimmerman AM, Siba P, Mueller I, Hetzel MW, Kazura JW, Thomsen E, Reimer LJ, Zimmerman PA Abstract Abstract. Anopheles punctulatus sibling species (An. punctulatus s.s., Anopheles koliensis, and Anopheles farauti species complex [eight cryptic species]) are principal vectors of malaria and filariasis in the Southwest Pacific. Given significant effort to reduce malaria and filariasis transmission through insecticide-treated net distribution in the region, effective strategies to monitor evolution of insecticide resistance among An. punctulatus sibling species is essential. Mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gene have been associated with knock-down resistance (kdr) to pyrethroids and DDT in malarious regions. By examining VGSC sequence polymorphism we developed a multiplex assay to differentiate wild-type versus kdr alleles and query intron-based polymorphisms that enable simultaneous species identification. A survey including mosquitoes from seven Papua New Guinea Provinces detected no kdr alleles in any An. punctulatus species. Absence of VGSC sequence introgression between species and evidence of geographic separation within species suggests that kdr must be monitored in each An. punctulatus species independently. PMID: 22232465 [PubMed - in process]
Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of West Nile Virus Genotype NY99 by Culex salinarius and Genotypes NY99 and WN02 by Culex tarsalis.
Anderson JF, Main AJ, Cheng G, Ferrandino FJ, Fikrig E Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of West Nile Virus Genotype NY99 by Culex salinarius and Genotypes NY99 and WN02 by Culex tarsalis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):134-9 Authors: Anderson JF, Main AJ, Cheng G, Ferrandino FJ, Fikrig E Abstract Abstract. Culex tarsalis is a superior horizontal and vertical vector of West Nile virus (WNV) compared with Culex salinarius. Culex salinarius transmitted WNV genotype NY99 (CT 2741-99 strain) horizontally to suckling mice at significantly lower rates than Cx. tarsalis on Days 8, 9, 10, and 12 post-infection, and Cx. salinarius transmitted WNV genotype NY99 to offspring at a lower vertical transmission infection rate than Cx. tarsalis. Culex tarsalis transmitted WNV genotypes NY99 and WN02 (CT S0084-08 strain) with equal efficiency. Daily percent horizontal transmission of genotype NY99 by Cx. tarsalis-infected per os and by intra-thoracic infection was not significantly different from daily transmission of genotype WN02 from Days 5-23 and Days 2-9 post-infection, respectively. Our findings do not support the previously published hypothesis that genotype NY99 was replaced in the New World by WN02 because of a shorter extrinsic incubation of WN02. PMID: 22232464 [PubMed - in process]
Capillaria philippinensis in Upper Egypt: Has It Become Endemic?
Attia RA, Tolba ME, Yones DA, Bakir HY, Eldeek HE, Kamel S Capillaria philippinensis in Upper Egypt: Has It Become Endemic? Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):126-33 Authors: Attia RA, Tolba ME, Yones DA, Bakir HY, Eldeek HE, Kamel S Abstract Abstract. The goal of this study was to present an overview of human infections with Capillaria philippinensis, a new emerging parasite in Upper Egypt. The study included 21 inpatients who had been admitted to the Assiut University Hospital. Patients suffered from intermittent abdominal pain, borborygmi, chronic diarrhea lasting for several weeks, and marked weight loss. Hypoalbuminemia and low serum levels of potassium, calcium, and sodium were detected in most patients. A stool examination was performed using direct smears and the formalin-ether concentration method. Intact adult worms and/or eggs were evaluated using a light microscope and processed for scanning electron microscopy. The examination by light microscopy illustrated the general morphology of different stages. Using scanning electron microscopy, intestinal villi were found partially covering the cuticle of the adult worms, which provided evidence for the invasion of adult worms into the jejunal mucosa. Two distinct types of eggs, thick-shelled and thin-shelled, were identified and measured. PMID: 22232463 [PubMed - in process]

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