Preface

Tropical medicine research holds a special place as an important activity that as a consequence of multiple factors, such as globalization and migration has extended and reaffirms its importance not only in tropical developing countries but also in nonendemic areas in the developed world. The update on different aspects related to the practice of tropical medicine and their multiple components needs to be frequently visited. Three of the most important infectious terminal diseases in the world that belong or significantly affect tropical areas are AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These pathologies, together with other important ones, represent relevant public health problems, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America (Franco-Paredes et al. 2007a, Franco-Paredes et al. 2007b, Rodríguez Morales AJ et al. 2006, Rodríguez Morales AJ et al. 2008), secondarily affecting, due to travel, Europe, North America and other areas of the world (Franco-Paredes et al. 2007c).

Diseases and conditions as object of the study of tropical medicine are diverse in organ compromise as well as in etiology, including infectious and non-infectious agents. With these concepts in mind, this book includes different topics of tropical medicine of current international interest, trying to update the most significant research in many of them as well as offer a multinational perspective on different relevant conditions. This book has been organized in three major sections: I. Tropical Diseases due to Bacteria and Viruses; II. Tropical Diseases due to Protozoa and Helminths; and III. Other Tropical Infectious and Non-Infectious Conditions. Section I includes topics covering bacterial diseases such as rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, leptospirosis, bartonellosis and tuberculosis; as well on viral diseases such as dengue, Lassa fever and Chikungunya. Section II includes topics covering protozoan diseases such as malaria, toxoplasmosis, amebiasis, leishmaniasis and Chagas disease; as well on helminthic diseases such as echinococcosis/hidatidosis, taeniosis/cysticercosis, schistosomiasis, filariasis, strongyloidiasis and soil-transmitted helminths. Section III includes topics on multiple-etiology conditions such as sexually transmitted diseases, new diagnostic tools for tropical diseases and vector-borne diseases; also includes non-infectious conditions particularly related to childhood health in the tropics.

This books does not intend to be an exhaustive compilation and this first edition has included not just multiple different topics but also a wide geographical participation from many countries where tropical medicine is of interest. Its online availability allows it to reach a worldwide audience.

#### XIV Preface

I would like to give my thanks to InTech, and particularly to Mr. Vedran Greblo, for the opportunity to edit this interesting and important book. I want to dedicate this book to my family and particularly to my lovely wife, Diana, who actually represents my engine for every activity I made in my professional career up until now, also to my friends and my students around Latin America.

We hope our readers enjoy this publication as much as I did reading the chapters of Current Topics in Tropical Medicine.

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