In the Brazilian Amazon, the suspected source of infection in an outbreak of acute Chagas disease involving 10 patients was Euterpe oleracea (açaí berry) juice. Patient blood and juice samples contained Trypanosoma cruzi TcIV, indicating oral transmission of the Chagas disease agent.

BackgroundIn the past two decades, a new epidemiological profile of Chagas' disease (CD) has been registered in the Brazilian Amazon where oral transmission has been indicated as responsible for the increase of acute cases. In the Amazonas state, five outbreaks of acute CD have been registered since 2004. The cardiac manifestations in these cases may be characterized by diffuse myocarditis, with alteration in the electrocardiogram (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE).ObjectiveTo perform a cardiac evaluation in autochthonous patients in the acute phase and at least one year after submitted to treatment for acute CD and evaluate the demographic variables associated with the presence of cardiac alterations.MethodsWe evaluated patients diagnosed with acute CD through direct parasitological or serological (IgM) methods from 2007 to 2015. These patients were treated with benznidazole and underwent ECG and TTE before and after treatment. We assumed a confidence interval of 95% (CI 95%, p < 0.05) for all variables analyzed.ResultsWe observed 63 cases of an acute CD in which oral transmission corresponded to 75%. Cardiac alterations were found in 33% of the cases, with a greater frequency of ventricular repolarization alteration (13%), followed by pericardial effusion (10%) and right bundle branch block and left anterior fascicular block (2%). The follow-up occurred in 48 patients with ECG and 25 with TTE for a mean period of 15.5 ± 4.1 months after treatment. Of these, 8% presented normalization of the cardiac alterations in ECG, 62.5% remained with the normal exams. All of the patients presented normal results in TTE in the post-treatment period. As for the demographic variables, isolated cases presented more cardiac alterations than outbreaks (p = 0.044) as well as cases from Central Amazonas mesoregion (p = 0.020).ConclusionsAlthough cardiac alterations have not been frequent in most of the studied population, a continuous evaluation of the clinical-epidemiological dynamics of the disease in the region is necessary in order to establish preventive measures.

In the Brazilian Amazon, the suspected source of infection in an outbreak of acute Chagas disease involving 10 patients was Euterpe oleracea (açaí berry) juice. Patient blood and juice samples contained Trypanosoma cruzi TcIV, indicating oral transmission of the Chagas disease agent.

Gas-forming pyogenic liver abscess (GPLA) is an uncommon and potentially fatal disease that represents 7-24% of pyogenic liver abscess cases. Diabetes mellitus is a wellknown risk factor, and the main etiological agent is Klebsiella pneumoniae. Escherichia coli is also associated with gas formation, particularly in the presence of biliary disorders. In South America, parasitic diseases have been described as predisposing factors for pyogenic liver abscesses and should be considered during etiological investigation. Clinical symptoms include fever and abdominal pain, but the presentation can be non-specifi c. Diagnosis is facilitated by abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography scanning ( Figure A); the presence of air is observed in less than 36% of chest roentgenograms, simulating pneumoperitoneum ( Figure B). The fatality rate due to gas-forming abscesses is higher than that due to non-

Background: Chagas disease is gaining importance in the Brazilian Amazon region as a differential diagnosis of febrile syndrome. The most recent microoutbreak occurred in Ipixuna, in Amazonas state.Methods: An epidemiological survey was conducted using parasitological and serological tests, and electrocardiographic analysis. Results:The patients belonged to one family and had ingested açaí acquired from Ipixuna. All patients reported fever and initially a thick blood smear test was done to identify Trypanosoma cruzi. Benznidazole treatment was administered to all patients.Conclusions: Knowledge of the epidemiological dynamics of Chagas disease allows us to improve control and management measures for this disease.

Background Zika virus infection is commonly described as a mild and self-limiting illness. However, cardiac complications were associated with acute Zika virus infection. Case presentation A 46-year-old woman without previous comorbidities with a 1-day history of symptoms tested positive for ZIKV by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). She was admitted two days after with clinical worsening, cardiac enzymes elevated, and cardiac imaging findings, and the diagnosis of myopericarditis was made. The patient was treated and presented significant clinical improvement after one year. Conclusions Cardiac complication following ZIKV infection appears to be infrequent. Here, we report a rare case of viral myopericarditis caused by ZIKV infection.

Este é um artigo de acesso aberto distribuído sob os termos da licença de atribuição pelo Creative Commons Fontes de financiamentoO presente estudo foi financiado pela Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM) Projeto Universal.

Background Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease that is still considered a global health emergency. In the Amazon region, most of the reports are of acute cases that are associated with oral transmission. This study aimed to evaluate myocardial injury in patients with acute Chagas disease before and after treatment. Methods and Results We evaluated 23 patients with acute Chagas disease in 3 different stages of progression. Group 1 had 12 patients evaluated during the acute phase, at the time of diagnosis, and 1 year after treatment, and Group 2 had 11 patients in the late postacute phase who were evaluated 5.2 years on average after diagnosis and treatment. ECGs with the Selvester score, 24‐hour Holter exam, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging were performed. The mean age of the 23 patients was 44.3±18.9 years, and they were mostly men (15/65.24%) from Amazonas state (22/95.6%). In 69.6% (n=16) of the patients, some ECG alterations were found, the most frequent being left anterior fascicular block and ventricular repolarization. In Group 1, the 24‐hour Holter exam showed atrial tachycardia in 3 (25%) patients and ventricular extrasystoles in 2 (16.7%) patients. In Group 2, 1 patient had ventricular extrasystoles. Myocardial injury was observed in 7 patients (58.3%) at the acute phase and in 5 (50%) patients at the 1‐year follow‐up in Group 1 and in 2 (18.2%) patients in Group 2. Conclusions This article describes, for the first time, myocardial injury shown by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in a group of patients with acute Chagas disease and reveals the importance of early detection and follow‐up of the cardiac impairment in these patients.