Acute kidney injury (AKI) in tropical countries is strikingly different from that in countries with a temperate climate. Tropical regions are characterised by year-round high temperatures and the absence of frost, which supports the propagation of infections that can potentially cause AKI. The aetiology and presentation of AKI reflects the ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, and ecological condit...

Background: Cardiomyopathy is the main cause of heart failure in developing countries, mainly in Africa. In those areas the concept of “tropical cardiomyopathy” is still used to design all unexplained cardiomyopathy. The primary aim of this review is first to review the main etiologies of cardiomyopathies observed in tropical countries and second to gain a better understanding of the nosologica...

Expansion of cropland in tropical countries is one of the principal causes of biodiversity loss, and threatens to undermine progress towards meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. To understand this threat better, we analysed data on crop distribution and expansion in 128 tropical countries, assessed changes in area of the main crops and mapped overlaps between conservation priorities and cult...

Despite considerable increased pesticide use over the past decades, little research has been done into their fate and effects in surface waters in tropical regions. In the present review, possible differences in response between temperate and tropical freshwaters to pesticide stress are discussed. Three underlying mechanisms for these differences are distinguished: (1) climate related parameter...

BACKGROUND Neglected tropical diseases are widespread, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, affecting over 2 billion individuals. Control of these diseases has gathered pace in recent years, with increased levels of funding from a number of governmental or non-governmental donors. Focus has currently been on five major 'tool-ready' neglected tropical diseases (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasi...

BACKGROUND Seasonal influenza activity varies with geography and time of year. OBJECTIVE To describe how pandemic influenza A(H1N1)2009 [A(H1N1)pdm09] activity varied during the 2009-2010 pandemic. METHODS We analyzed influenza virological data compiled by the World Health Organization from June 2009-August 2010. We calculated weekly proportions of A(H1N1)pdm09-positive specimens out of all...

Malaria and poverty are intimately connected. Controlling for factors such as tropical location, colonial history, and geographical isolation, countries with intensive malaria had income levels in 1995 of only 33% that of countries without malaria, whether or not the countries were in Africa. The high levels of malaria in poor countries are not mainly a consequence of poverty. Malaria is geogra...

Dear Editor, Stroke is an important medical problem that requires good management. In medicine, stroke is the most common cause of disability around the world. The recent report on infective stroke is very interesting. 1 pointed out many interesting issues and mentioned a large number of tropical infections that can cause infective stroke. According to this report, malaria, tuberculosis, cystic...