A total of 118 sera were collected during 2016 from two groups of dromedaries from Kebili and Medenine governorates in the south of Tunisia. The aim of this study was to provide the first serological investigation of four emerging vector-borne diseases in two groups of dromedaries in Tunisia. Sera were tested by ELISA and serum neutralisation test to identify West Nile virus (WNV), bluetongue virus (BTV), epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). In the first group, the seroprevalence for BTV was 4.6%, while in the second group, it was 25.8% for WNV and 9.7% for BTV. Only serotype 1 was detected for BTV in the two groups. No evidence for circulation of RVF and EHD viruses was revealed. Results indicated that dromedaries can be infected with BTV and WNV, suggesting that this species might play a significant role in the epizootiology of these viral diseases in Tunisia and neighbouring countries.
Background
Extra-adrenal paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum is a very rare neoplasm arising from cells of the primitive neural crest. Although paragangliomas are considered benign and are often found incidentally, they have the potential to metastasize.
Case presentation
We report the case of a 68-year-old Caucasian woman with an incidental diagnosis of retroperitoneal paraganglioma that was discovered on chest computed tomography performed for high suspicion of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia. The patient showed no metastasis and was successfully treated by complete surgical removal of the tumor.
Conclusion
As the diagnosis of paragangliomas is often delayed because of absent clinical symptoms, they represent a significant diagnostic challenge. Although surgery may exacerbate coronavirus disease 2019 infection, surgical resection of this tumor is prioritized, given its malignancy potential, and it must be performed as soon as no infection is detected.
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