Recrudescence

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Recrudescence is the recurrence of an undesirable condition. In medicine, it is usually defined as the recurrence of symptoms after a period of remission or quiescence, [1] [2] [3] in which sense it can sometimes be synonymous with relapse. In a narrower sense, it can also be such a recurrence with higher severity than before the remission. [3] "Relapse" conventionally has a specific (albeit somewhat illogical) meaning when used in relation to malaria (see below).

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Malaria

In malaria, recurrence can take place due to recrudescence; or relapse; or re-infection (via mosquito transmission). Relapse means that a recurrence has been precipitated by a dormant stage in the liver called a "hypnozoite". [4] Thus, relapse is applied only for those plasmodial species that have hypnozoites in the life cycle, such as Plasmodium vivax and P. ovale . On the other hand, recrudescence means that circulating, multiplying parasites are detected after having persisted in the bloodstream (or elsewhere) at undetectable levels for a period of time, as merozoites (as opposed to hypnozoites). [5] This term is applied for Plasmodium species that are not associated with hypnozoite-mediated recurrences, such as P. falciparum , P. malariae , and P. knowlesi . Recrudescence is also used for malarial recurrence caused by drug-resistant strains of P. vivax and P. ovale where parasites remained in the bloodstream despite treatment. [6] [7]

Melioidosis

In melioidosis, a recurrent infection can be due to re-infection and relapse. Re-infection is a recurrence of symptoms due to an infection with a new strain of Burkholderia pseudomallei following the eradication therapy of melioidosis. Meanwhile, relapse are those who presented with melioidosis symptoms due to failure to clear the infection in the bloodstream after completion of eradication therapy. On the other hand, recrudescence is the recurrence of melioidosis symptoms during the eradication therapy. [8] [9]

Bovine viral diarrhoea

The bovine viral diarrhoea virus (bovine virus diarrhea) is said to be recrudescent for some time after clinical signs have abated, because antibodies plateau c. weeks 10–12, and are not lifelong, auto infection may potentially occur in the acutely infected non-pregnant animal.

Others

Other diseases that may recur following a short or long period of quiescence include shingles (after chicken pox), oral herpes and genital herpes, and Brill–Zinsser disease (after epidemic typhus).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaria</span> Mosquito-borne infectious disease

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other vertebrates. Human malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin 10 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected Anopheles mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria.

Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young children and pregnant women. As of 2018, modern treatments, including for severe malaria, continued to depend on therapies deriving historically from quinine and artesunate, both parenteral (injectable) drugs, expanding from there into the many classes of available modern drugs. Incidence and distribution of the disease is expected to remain high, globally, for many years to come; moreover, known antimalarial drugs have repeatedly been observed to elicit resistance in the malaria parasite—including for combination therapies featuring artemisinin, a drug of last resort, where resistance has now been observed in Southeast Asia. As such, the needs for new antimalarial agents and new strategies of treatment remain important priorities in tropical medicine. As well, despite very positive outcomes from many modern treatments, serious side effects can impact some individuals taking standard doses.

<i>Plasmodium</i> Genus of parasitic protists that can cause malaria

Plasmodium is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of Plasmodium species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vertebrate host during a blood meal. Parasites grow within a vertebrate body tissue before entering the bloodstream to infect red blood cells. The ensuing destruction of host red blood cells can result in malaria. During this infection, some parasites are picked up by a blood-feeding insect, continuing the life cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melioidosis</span> Human disease

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. Most people exposed to B. pseudomallei experience no symptoms; however, those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms that range from mild, such as fever and skin changes, to severe with pneumonia, abscesses, and septic shock that could cause death. Approximately 10% of people with melioidosis develop symptoms that last longer than two months, termed "chronic melioidosis".

<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Protozoan species of malaria parasite

Plasmodium falciparum is a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito and causes the disease's most dangerous form, falciparum malaria. It is responsible for around 50% of all malaria cases. P. falciparum is therefore regarded as the deadliest parasite in humans. It is also associated with the development of blood cancer and is classified as a Group 2A (probable) carcinogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gametocyte</span> Eukaryotic germ stem cell

A gametocyte is a eukaryotic germ cell that divides by mitosis into other gametocytes or by meiosis into gametids during gametogenesis. Male gametocytes are called spermatocytes, and female gametocytes are called oocytes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artemether</span> Chemical compound

Artemether is a medication used for the treatment of malaria. The injectable form is specifically used for severe malaria rather than quinine. In adults, it may not be as effective as artesunate. It is given by injection in a muscle. It is also available by mouth in combination with lumefantrine, known as artemether/lumefantrine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primaquine</span> Pharmaceutical drug

Primaquine is a medication used to treat and prevent malaria and to treat Pneumocystis pneumonia. Specifically it is used for malaria due to Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale along with other medications and for prevention if other options cannot be used. It is an alternative treatment for Pneumocystis pneumonia together with clindamycin. It is taken by mouth.

<i>Plasmodium vivax</i> Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium vivax is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. This parasite is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria. Although it is less virulent than Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of the five human malaria parasites, P. vivax malaria infections can lead to severe disease and death, often due to splenomegaly. P. vivax is carried by the female Anopheles mosquito; the males do not bite.

<i>Plasmodium ovale</i> Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium ovale is a species of parasitic protozoon that causes tertian malaria in humans. It is one of several species of Plasmodium parasites that infect humans, including Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax which are responsible for most cases of malaria in the world. P. ovale is rare compared to these two parasites, and substantially less dangerous than P. falciparum.

<i>Plasmodium malariae</i> Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium malariae is a parasitic protozoan that causes malaria in humans. It is one of several species of Plasmodium parasites that infect other organisms as pathogens, also including Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, responsible for most malarial infection. Found worldwide, it causes a so-called "benign malaria", not nearly as dangerous as that produced by P. falciparum or P. vivax. The signs include fevers that recur at approximately three-day intervals – a quartan fever or quartan malaria – longer than the two-day (tertian) intervals of the other malarial parasite.

<i>Plasmodium knowlesi</i> Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium knowlesi is a parasite that causes malaria in humans and other primates. It is found throughout Southeast Asia, and is the most common cause of human malaria in Malaysia. Like other Plasmodium species, P. knowlesi has a life cycle that requires infection of both a mosquito and a warm-blooded host. While the natural warm-blooded hosts of P. knowlesi are likely various Old World monkeys, humans can be infected by P. knowlesi if they are fed upon by infected mosquitoes. P. knowlesi is a eukaryote in the phylum Apicomplexa, genus Plasmodium, and subgenus Plasmodium. It is most closely related to the human parasite Plasmodium vivax as well as other Plasmodium species that infect non-human primates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8-Aminoquinoline</span> Chemical compound

8-Aminoquinoline is the 8-amino derivative of quinoline. Often abbreviated AQ, it is a pale yellow solid. It is structurally analogous to 8-hydroxyquinoline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tafenoquine</span> Antimalarial drug

Tafenoquine, sold under the brand name Krintafel among others, is a medication used to prevent and to treat malaria. With respect to acute malaria, it is used together with other medications to prevent relapse by Plasmodium vivax. It may be used to prevent all types of malaria. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of malaria</span> History of malaria infections

The history of malaria extends from its prehistoric origin as a zoonotic disease in the primates of Africa through to the 21st century. A widespread and potentially lethal human infectious disease, at its peak malaria infested every continent except Antarctica. Its prevention and treatment have been targeted in science and medicine for hundreds of years. Since the discovery of the Plasmodium parasites which cause it, research attention has focused on their biology as well as that of the mosquitoes which transmit the parasites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schüffner's dots</span>

Schüffner's dots refers to a hematological finding that is associated with malaria, exclusively found in infections caused by Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium vivax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apicomplexan life cycle</span> Apicomplexa life cycle

Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism is typified by a cellular variety with a distinct morphology and biochemistry.

<i>Plasmodium cynomolgi</i> Species of single-celled organism

Plasmodium cynomolgi is an apicomplexan parasite that infects mosquitoes and Asian Old World monkeys. In recent years, a number of natural infections of humans have also been documented. This species has been used as a model for human Plasmodium vivax because Plasmodium cynomolgi shares the same life cycle and some important biological features with P. vivax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quartan fever</span> Medical condition

Quartan fever is one of the four types of malaria which can be contracted by humans.

References

  1. Elsevier, Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Elsevier.
  2. Wolters Kluwer, Stedman's Medical Dictionary, Wolters Kluwer.
  3. 1 2 Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster.
  4. Markus, MB (2011). "Malaria: Origin of the term "hypnozoite"". Journal of the History of Biology. 44 (4): 781–786. doi:10.1007/s10739-010-9239-3. PMID   20665090.
  5. Markus, MB (2022). "Theoretical origin of genetically homologous Plasmodium vivax malarial recurrences". Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases. 37 (1): 369. doi:10.4102/sajid.v37i1.369. PMC   8991251 . PMID   35399558.
  6. "The Department of Health - Australia - Malaria Laboratory Case Definition (LCD)". Australian Department of Health. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020. "Recrudescence" is the term for recurrence of infection with all malaria species including P. falciparum, P. malariae and P. knowlesi, which lack hypnozoites. This occurs when the infection (unless a new infection) has persisted in the blood at undetectable levels and then becomes detectable again. ... . If, following reactivation of a latent hypnozoite in the liver, a relapse occurred, then that individual would, potentially, be able to spread the infection to mosquitoes (provided that there were gametocytes in the blood). Malaria epidemiologists consider that each relapse has the potential to establish a new focus of transmission and, thus constitutes a new case. ... In the case of the persistence of drug-resistant parasites, there would be no clearance of parasitaemia even though it might be reduced to sub-patent levels for a time. This would be the same case but, in this instance, recurrence would be termed "recrudescence" not "relapse" (refer above). The period of 8 weeks used to exclude recrudescence as the cause of recurrences of chloroquine-resistant P. vivax is somewhat arbitrary, but it does extend beyond the period during which there would be sufficient drug present to suppress the resistant parasites below patency.
  7. Markus MB (July 2017). "Malaria Eradication and the Hidden Parasite Reservoir". Trends in Parasitology. 33 (7): 492–495. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2017.03.002. PMID   28366603.
  8. Sarovich DS, Ward L, Price EP, Mayo M, Pitman MC, Baird RW, Currie BJ (February 2014). "Recurrent melioidosis in the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study: improving therapies mean that relapse cases are now rare". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 52 (2): 650–3. doi:10.1128/JCM.02239-13. PMC   3911345 . PMID   24478504. Recurrent melioidosis can result either from relapse due to failure to clear an infection or from reinfection with a new B. pseudomallei strain. ... Patients re-presenting during this period of therapy are considered to have recrudescent rather than recurrent melioidosis and have been excluded from our analysis.
  9. Pitman MC, Luck T, Marshall CS, Anstey NM, Ward L, Currie BJ (March 2015). Vinetz JM (ed.). "Intravenous therapy duration and outcomes in melioidosis: a new treatment paradigm". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 9 (3): e0003586. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003586 . PMC   4374799 . PMID   25811783. This approach is associated with rates of relapse, defined as recurrence following the eradication phase, that can exceed 5%. Rates of recrudescence, defined as recurrence during the eradication phase, have not previously been reported.