Maria Landaeta

• MD, MSc
• Chief at Hospital Universitario de Caracas

Numerous reports of neuropsychiatric symptoms highlighted the pathologic potential of SARS‐CoV‐2 and its relationship with the onset and/or exacerbation of mental illness. However, COVID‐19 treatments, themselves, must be considered as potential catalysts for new onset neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID‐19 patients. To date immediate and long‐term...

Background: The deterioration of Venezuela's health system in recent years undoubtedly contributes to an increased impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) toward COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic could inform their medical training and improve their preparedness...

La enfermedad por Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) continúa siendo un serio problema de salud pública en todo el mundo, sin embargo, hasta la fecha, existe información limitada sobre el comportamiento de esta pandemia en América Latina y en particular en Venezuela. En este trabajo se describe la experiencia del Hospital Universitario de Caracas (HUC) du...

A 51 years old female patient with granulomatous mastitis diagnosis, was referred to the Medical Mycology Department "Dr. Dante Borelli" at the Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela (IMT-UCV). Mycological diagnosis demonstrated the presence of intracellular yeast structures suggesting Histoplasma sp. and also multi-buddin...

Objective: To determine the prevalence of nasal septum perforation associated to Histoplasma sp. Material and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted with patients who developed nasal septum perforation associated to histoplasmosis. The diagnosis was made based on clinical manifestations and confirmed with mycological direct exami...

Objective: To determine the frequency and clinical forms of oral manifestations associated to Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) and Histoplasmosis. Material and Methods: 481 medical records of outpatients referred to the Medical Mycology Department were reviewed since 2009 to 2016. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results: 47 (9...

Objective: To identify, using phenotypic methods, FGNB, NFGNB and Candida sp. in toothbrushes, and environmental samples of bathroom air in a group of students from the Dentistry School of the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Material and Methods: Thirty-four toothbrushes were supplied to the cohort during a 60-day period; environmental samples we...

Objetivo: describir las causas de morbilidad, mortalidad y de falla antirretroviral y relacionarlo con el mecanismo de adquisición del virus en adolescentes con VIH / SIDA atendidos en el Hospital Universitario de Caracas, período 2009 - 2013. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo de tipo retrospectivo a través del seguimiento de una cohorte. Se recolectar...

Histoplasmosis is a granulomatous disease, produced by Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus causes a wide range of clinical manifestations; the most common is the pulmonary form. In some cases, atypical presentations are described. Case report: a 70 year old male patient, from Barinas, Venezuela, who worked in a chicken farm, with diagnosis of histo...

Histoplasmosis is a granulomatous disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum. It causes a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, being the pulmonary the most common one. In some cases disseminated forms with involvement of one or multiple organs are manifested with atypical characteristics difficult to recognize. The pathogenesis of this disease i...

Granulomatous mastitis is an uncommon benign inflammatory disease. Six cases of granulomatous mastitis caused by Histoplasma capsulatum are described in this case series study. All patients were evaluated at "Dr. Dante Borelli" outpatient clinic of Medical Mycology Department, Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, from 1...

Background: Sporotrichosis is one of the most common subcutaneous mycoses in Venezuela. It is a granulomatous chronic infection with cutaneous or subcutaneous tissue lesions. Regional lymphatic involvement may be present; extracutaneous disease is rare. The causal fungus Sporothrix schenckii has been isolated from soil, vegetation, and animals on...

Recently, there has been an increase in the occurrence of infections due to Histoplasma capsulatum, mainly in immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of histoplasmosis in patients attended at Hospital Universitario de Caracas, Clínica Atias and Hospital Miguel Pérez Carreño, with leukemias and lymphoma...

Objective: to characterize from the clinical, epidemiological and treatment viewpoints, patients diagnosed with paracoccidioidomycosis and evaluated in the outpatient clinic of the Medical Mycology Section, at the IMT-UCV and from other hospitals in the greater Caracas area, whose samples were processed in this section between 2001-2011. Methods: d...

Objective: to characterize from the clinical, epidemiological and treatment viewpoints, patients diagnosed with paracoccidioidomycosis and evaluated in the outpatient clinic of the Medical Mycology Section, at the IMT-UCV and from other hospitals in the greater Caracas area, whose samples were processed in this section between 2001-2011. Methods: d...

Melioidosis is an important disease in Asia and Australia. It is very rare in Venezuela. We describe the case of a 50-year-old diabetic patient with several episodes of right tibial osteomyelitis, left shoulder arthritis, sternal osteomyelitis, right parietal osteomyelitis, and subperiosteal abscess, followed by septic arthritis of the right knee....

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic disease of worldwide distribution. It is frequently an AIDS-defining infection. Antiretroviral treatment has reduced its occurrence. In Venezuela, the impact of this disease is unknown. The aim of this study is to describe the most relevant features of cryptococcosis in our country. Methods: 110 clinical records w...

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic disease of worldwide distribution. It is frequently an AIDS-defining infection. Antiretroviral treatment has reduced its occurrence. In Venezuela, the impact of this disease is unknown. The aim of this study is to describe the most relevant features of cryptococcosis in our country. Methods: 110 clinical records w...

Background: We describe an epidemic outbreak of acute pulmonary histoplasmosis in immunocompetent individuals who visited a cave, 100 miles from Caracas, Venezuela. Methods: We performed a descriptive study reporting demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings in this group after a single exposure during a visit to Alfredo Jahn cave in the count...

Histoplasmosis, a granulomatous disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, is endemic in Venezuela. We conducted the current study to appraise retrospectively the demographic data, clinical features, diagnostic methods, and treatment of patients with histoplasmosis from January 2000 to December 2005. We reviewed the medical records of outpatient cas...

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of the medically important yeast-like fungi. C. neoformans var. gatti has been made a species: C. gatti. In our country, there are few studies about these two species and their serotypes. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of C. neoformans and C. gattii, and their serotypes in Venezuelan clinical...

Four patients with clinical diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) are presented. In these patients, lung biopsies revealed bronchocentric granulomatosis (BG), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), and in one biopsy, the clinical manifestations suggested tuberculous primo-infection with systemic dissemination. T...

In mycology, culture is the best way to demonstrate and identify pathogenic fungi. Many kinds of media have been developed and modified, using fungal biochemical properties to recognize them. The most common media are Sabouraud, Malt Agar, Cornmeal agar, Potato-dextrose agar, and Staib agar. Staib agar has been widely used for identification of yea...

Osteomyelitis due to Candida species is an unusual but recognized entity. However, with the increasing occurrence of factors predisposing to candidemia and invasive candidiasis, candidal osteomyelitis is being diagnosed more frequently. An unusual case of Candida albicans osteomyelitis is reported here, along with a review of the published literatu...

The difficulties to keep bacterial or fungal strains viable, morphological and physiological stable during variable periods of time, are well known. Different conservation methods with diverse levels of efficiency are therefore in use: periodical sub culturing, liophilization, mineral oil immersion and the Castellani method among others.

Faecal samples from 123 children admitted to the Centre for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, with acute watery diarrhoea were screened by negative-stain electron microscopy for viral enteropathogens. In addition to the 48 children who were found to be infected with rotavirus only, one had both rotavirus and astrovirus, two had adenov...

In pathogenicity studies of 31 Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates preserved using Castellani's method we intraperitoneally inoculated 104 young adult hamsters and found laminated concentric structures and calcified appearance that resembled Schaumann bodies, in 43 of them, especially in animals with apparently good condition. We characterized t...