The purpose of this exhibit is: 1. to present a comprehensive review of various tropical diseases affecting the chest. 2. to illustrate the imaging findings using a range of radiological modalities, particularly conventional radiography and computed tomography.

This review outlines the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and imaging findings of common and rare tropical diseases affecting the chest. Some of the diseases included in this presentation are: Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) Schistosomiasis Amebiasis Dengue Malaria Hydatid disease (echinococcosis) Filariasis Paracoccidioidomycosis Ascariasis Strongyloidiasis Tuberculosis Cysticercosis Dirofilariasis

INTRODUCTION The imaging findings of some tropical diseases are fairly characteristic. Because of increased migration and frequent traveling, some patients with such infections may be encountered in non-endemic areas and the diagnosis may be delayed or difficult. Therefore knowledge of the most important features of these diseases is important. SCHISTOSOMIASIS MANSONI Schistosomiasis mansoni is caused by the trematode Schistosoma mansoni, which is endemic in the Middle East, Africa, Atlantic coast of South America, Caribbean and Asia (1). It represents the second cause of mortality among...

The emergence of AIDS, the frequent use of immunosuppressive drugs in many diseases and the increasing numbers of organ transplantations have resulted in a renewed interest in many tropical diseases. It is essential that radiologists be aware of the increasing prevalence of various exotic tropical diseases and become familiar with their imaging features. REFERENCES 1- Nguyen LQ, Estrella J, Jett EA et al. Acute Schistosomiasis in Nonimmune Travelers: Chest CT Findings in 10 Patients. AJR.2006;186:1300-1303. 2- Martínez S, Restrepo CS, CarrilLo JA et al. Thoracic...