ID4U - Infectious Disease Podcasts for Users of the CMES program

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Katie Roche, and Dr. Lawrence Mendy discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness. Take-Home Points: There are 2 parasite subspecies: (1) T. b. Gambiense in West/Central Africa, comprising >90% of cases, which is chronic and ant...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. Sabel Bass, and Talemwa Ignatius interview Nekisha Michelle Kee about the psychological impacts of infectious diseases. Take-Home Points: Infectious disease is a social, emotional, and psychological traumatic experience, not just a biological one. Stigma and isolation can be as damaging as the pathogen itself; we have to lead with empathy and normalize negative feelings,...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. Sidwell Kyeyune, and Dr. Kakande Reagan discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of Marburg virus disease. Take-Home Points: Marburg virus disease infection can occur via zoonotic exposure to Egyptian fruit bats or via human-to-human transmission. Initial symptoms are non-specific but can progress to...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. Lawrence Mendy, Dr. Elicana Nduhuura, and Malan Alfred Opoka discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Take-Home Points: CCHF is a severe tick-borne viral illness caused by CCHFV, occurring in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Europe. Transmission is...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Sabel Bass co-interview Dr. Valentine Aroh, discussing the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of Lassa fever. Take-Home Points: Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa. Rats are the primary animal reservoir and are becoming more of an issue as dry seasons lengthen in the face of c...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Nicholas Maxwell discuss two re-emerging diseases in the era of the rising phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy: measles and mumps. They cover vaccine safety for preventing both diseases, followed by the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and close-contact protection measures for measles and mumps. The episode closes with a discussion of how to talk to families...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. John George Johnson, Dr. Akan Otu, and Dr. Bri Bennett discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of rabies. Take-Home Points: Rabies is an encephalomyelitis that occurs after inoculation from infected saliva. Many countries have successfully eradicated this disease, but 59,000 people still die of the d...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Mulungi Jonathan discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of cryptococcosis. Take-Home Points: Cryptococcus is deadly and demands early recognition. Most global burden is in Sub‑Saharan Africa. Crypto isn’t just an HIV disease. CNS and lungs are the most commonly affected organs. CrAg LFA is the be...

Dr. Bri Bennett, Dr. Kakande Reagan, and Dr. Jessica Pelletier discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of snake envenomation - a neglected tropical disease. Take-Home Points: Snakebites cause major global death and disability, especially in LMICs. Most dangerous bites come from vipers and elapids. Venom effects fall into three...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Mulungi Jonathan discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of chromoblastomycosis. Take-Home Points: CBM is a NTD that disproportionately impacts males who work outdoors in tropical climates. Infection occurs via direct innoculation, and the disease progression is slow. Early intervention is critica...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. Daniela Fusco, and Dr. Rivonirina Andry Rakotoarivelo discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of schistosomiasis. Take-Home Points: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection with trematode worms that can cause chronic intestinal or genitourinary disease if untreated The gold standard diagnostic test i...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, John George Johnson, Dr. Akan Otu, Dr. Moses Kitakule, and Dr. Bri Bennett discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of chikungunya virus disease. Take-Home Points: CHIKF is an alphavirus with low mortality but HIGH morbidity, often leading to chronic, debilitating arthritis. Severe disease primarily affec...

Dr. Kakande Reagan, Dr. Bri Bennett, and Dr. Jessica Pelletier discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of loiasis. Take-Home Points: Loa loa is a multi-system parasitic disease with potentially serious complications if untreated. Diagnosis requires diurnal blood smears or thick-drop methods, and Giemsa or H&E staining is n...

Dr. Stuart Allen, Dr. Jessica Pelletier, and Dr. Akan Otu discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of dengue. Take-Home Points: Dengue is an arboviral disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito It is an NTD with a huge global burden of disease The majority of cases are self-limiting, but severe dengue infections can caus...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, John George Johnson, and Dr. Sheikh Omar Bittaye discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Take-Home Points: LF is the second most common mosquito-borne illness after malaria. This disease involves repeated cycles of infection and inflammation, much like trachoma, and can caus...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier, Dr. Kakande Reagan, and Dr. Bri Bennett discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of onchocerciasis. Take-Home Points: Onchocerciasis is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide Transmission occurs via blackfly bites Clinical manifestations are typically dermatologic followed by ocular Diagnosis ide...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Tracy Walczynski discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of trachoma. Take-Home Points: Trachoma is the most common infectious cause of blindness worldwide Chlamydia trachomatis is spread via direct contact, and its spread is propagated in resource-limited settings where there is poor access to go...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Dr. Kamoga Dickson discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of cholera. Take-Home Points: Cholera is a disease with high morbidity that disproportionately affects sub-Saharan Africa The O1 and O139 serogroups of V. cholera make cholera toxin and cause the disease Colonization happens in the small intes...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Noah Kronk speak with Dr. Steve Liang and Dr. Gaston Omba about the diagnostic workup, management, and prevention of ebola virus disease (EVD). Take-Home Points: Patients may present in either the dry or wet phases of disease and may progress to death or recovery Early recognition of possible EVD cases helps protect more people from becoming infected IPC measures are crit...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Noah Kronk speak with Dr. Gaston Omba, an emergency medicine resident physician with expertise in international cooperation, humanitarian aid, health management, and ebola epidemic response. Take-Home Points: Ebola virus outbreaks typically occur in Sub-Saharan Africa The natural reservoir is thought to be bats, but this isn’t definitive Early detection of suspected Ebola...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier and Noah Kronk speak with Dr. Stephen Liang, an emergency medicine physician and infectious disease expert, about the diagnosis and management of mpox in the ED setting. Take-Home Points: Two clades: Clade 1 (Central Africa): classic, more severe disease Clade 2 (West Africa): subtle, non-classic presentations including genital/anal lesions and proctitis in the 2022 global ou...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier speaks with Ambrose Ndabahwerize, a nurse working in Uganda, regarding his first-hand experience working with mpox patients in a resource-limited setting. Take-Home Points: Most cases of mpox are non-severe Treatment of mpox is primarily supportive Community education, isolation of suspected cases, and proper PPE access are key for preventing the spread of disease Episode art...

In this special episode of ID4U, we move away from our focus on tropical medicine and instead discuss the non-profit Techies Without Borders (TWB). We learn the following: What does the TWB non-profit do? Why are the TWB volunteers passionate about their work? What is the Continuing Medical Education Solutions (CMES) initiative, and how does it work? How are donations used? You can learn more abou...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier speaks with Dr. Emmanuel Effa, a nephrology expert, about tropical infections in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Take-Home Points: CKD and particularly end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) impose significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and management of CKD is critical to prevent progression to ESKD. Numerous tropical infections can increase the risk for AKI,...

Dr. Jessica Pelletier speaks with Dr. Emmanuel Effa, a nephrology expert, about tropical infections in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Take-Home Points: CKD and particularly end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) impose significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and management of CKD is critical to prevent progression to ESKD. Numerous tropical infections can increase the risk for AKI,...