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Parasitic diseases of the heart
Journal article   Open access

Parasitic diseases of the heart

Louis V Kirchhoff, Louis M Weiss, Murray Wittner and Herbert B Tanowitz
Frontiers in bioscience, Vol.9(1-3), pp.706-723
01/01/2004
DOI: 10.2741/1255
PMID: 14766402
url
https://doi.org/10.2741/1255View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The following chapter is one of a series of chapters in the volume entitled Infections of the Myocardium appearing in Frontiers in Bioscience. The full table of contents can be found at http://www.bioscience.org/current/special/tanowitz.htm. In this chapter, we review several parasitic infections involving the myocardium and pericardium. The most widely studied parasitic infection affecting the heart is Chagas' disease or American trypanosomiasis. In this chapter we describe issues relating to Chagas' disease not covered in detail in other chapters. African trypanosomiasis may also cause a myocarditis. The protozoan parasite, Entamoeba histolytica rarely causes a pericarditis while Toxoplasma gondii may cause myocarditis, usually in immunocompromised hosts. The larval forms of the tapeworms Echinococcus and Taenia solium may cause space-occupying lesions of the heart. Severe infection with the nematode Trichinella spiralis may cause myocarditis.
Animals Chagas Disease - parasitology Chagas Disease - physiopathology Cysticercosis - parasitology Entamoeba histolytica Heart Diseases - classification Heart Diseases - parasitology Humans Parasitic Diseases - classification Parasitic Diseases - parasitology Pericarditis - parasitology Toxoplasmosis - parasitology Trichinella spiralis Trichinellosis - parasitology Trypanosomiasis, African - parasitology

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