Case report: the first parasitologically confirmed autochthonous case of acute Chagas disease in Suriname.

We present a case report from 2001 of the first parasitologically confirmed case of acute Chagas disease in Suriname. The patient had never left Suriname, and was probably infected by an adventitious species of Panstrongylus in his house in the capital city, Paramaribo. The patient was treated with nifurtimox, and appears to have recovered.

Compound heterozygosity for a mild beta (+) and a rare beta(0)-thalassemia allele.

Hematological and hemoglobin composition data are presented for 14 members of a Surinam family (and for 1 unrelated subject) with either a beta-thalassemia heterozygosity [5 with the -29 (A----G) beta + mutation and 5 with the IVS II-849 (A----G) beta(0) mutation] or a compound heterozygosity (the 5 remaining patients). Identification of the mutation was by hybridization of amplified DNA with 32P-labelled synthetic oligonucleotides. The data indicate distinct differences between the two groups of heterozygotes, mainly in degree of microcytosis and hypochromia, in Hb A2 level, and in the level of G gamma (high in the -29 heterozygotes and low in the IVS II-849 heterozygotes).