Tropical Parasitic Lung Diseases

Protozoa and helminthes can affect the lung as a primary site, or a complication. Some parasites have a migration cycle through the lung (larva migrans), inducing blood and tissue eosinophilia. Clinical manifestations of lung involvement could be acute: asthma –like syndrome, or Loeffler’s syndrome, with dyspnea, wheezing, cough; or chronic such as hemoptysis or right heart failure signs. Acute manifestations depend on immunological reaction (hypersensitivity), and chronic feature relay on the mechanical action of pathogen on the vessels and tissues. (vg: schistosoma eggs in the pulmonary artery and pulmonary hypertension). The lung is important organs which affected by parasitic diseases in tropical area, e.g. Protozoal parasites that cause pulmonary diseases are Entamoeba histolytica, Leishmania donovani, malarial parasites, Toxoplasma gondii, Babesia microti and Babesiadivergens. and also, some helminthes such as Helminths: Cestodes (Pulmonary hydatid cyst; Trematodes (Pulmonary schistosomiasis, Pulmonary paragonimiasis); Nematodes (Pulmonary ascariasis, Pulmonary ancylostomiasis, Pulmonary strongyloidiasis); Tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, Pulmonary dirofilariasis; Visceral larva migrans; Pulmonary trichinellosis. The perfect diagnosis for parasitic lung diseases very important to prevent the distribution of parasites between patient in tropical and subtropical area. Health education must be done. The main target of this study is to focus on some tropical parasitic lung diseases. Review Article TROPICAL PARASITIC LUNG DISEASES