Figures
Lumbar puncture in the field.
The neuro-encephalitic stage (or stage 2) of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) is fatal if untreated, and accuracy of diagnosis and staging of infections is therefore essential. HAT diagnostic algorithms are complex and rely on outdated tests. Stage 2 diagnosis requires demonstration of parasites or inflammation in the cerebro-spinal fluid, a sample of which is obtained from patients through lumbar puncture. Lumbar puncture is a dangerous and painful procedure. Current research on better and simpler HAT diagnostic tests will hopefully obviate this requirement in the years to come. See Checchi et al, doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001233.
Image Credit: Robin Meldrum (Médecins Sans Frontières)
Citation: (2011) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Issue Image | Vol. 5(7) July 2011. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 5(7): ev05.i07. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pntd.v05.i07
Published: July 26, 2011
Copyright: © 2011 Checchi . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The neuro-encephalitic stage (or stage 2) of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) is fatal if untreated, and accuracy of diagnosis and staging of infections is therefore essential. HAT diagnostic algorithms are complex and rely on outdated tests. Stage 2 diagnosis requires demonstration of parasites or inflammation in the cerebro-spinal fluid, a sample of which is obtained from patients through lumbar puncture. Lumbar puncture is a dangerous and painful procedure. Current research on better and simpler HAT diagnostic tests will hopefully obviate this requirement in the years to come. See Checchi et al, doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001233.
Image Credit: Robin Meldrum (Médecins Sans Frontières)