Publications by authors named "Monica Pachar"

Article Synopsis
  • A patient in Panama was diagnosed with lobomycosis, an infection caused by the fungus Paracoccidioides (Lacazia) loboi.
  • The research utilized clinical, epidemiologic, and genetic data to study this infection, including a new gene sequence dataset specific to Panama.
  • The findings enhance understanding of lobomycosis, contributing valuable information to the limited knowledge surrounding this fungal disease in the Mesoamerican region.
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Many people from poverty-stricken countries are migrating across South and Central America to reach the México-United States border, a movement exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Migrant people who begin their northbound journey in South America must transit across a significant geographic bottleneck, the Darién Gap, a mountainous rainforest region between Colombia and Panama. Most migrant people crossing this region originate from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Monkeypox, a viral infection originally found in central and western Africa, has resurfaced internationally, with many confirmed cases reported globally in 2022, raising alarms among public health officials who see similarities to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • - The rapid spread of monkeypox cases highlights concerns about airborne transmission and the need for early detection and intervention to control outbreaks.
  • - To mitigate the potential global implications of monkeypox, health authorities must utilize lessons from past outbreaks, focusing on accurate diagnosis, active surveillance, and effective containment strategies.
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Background: The world is currently unprepared to deal with the drastic increase in global migration. There is an urgent need to develop programs to protect the well-being and health of migrant peoples. Increased population movement is already evident throughout the Americas as exemplified by the rising number of migrant peoples who pass through the Darien neotropical moist broadleaf forest along the border region between Panama and Colombia.

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Bats have populated earth for approximately 52 million years, serving as natural reservoirs for a variety of viruses through the course of evolution. Transmission of highly pathogenic viruses from bats has been suspected or linked to a spectrum of potential emerging infectious diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Examples of such viruses include Marburg, Ebolavirus, Nipah, Hendra, Influenza A, Dengue, Equine Encephalitis viruses, Lyssaviruses, Madariaga and Coronaviruses, involving the now pandemic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in the Americas in Brazil in 2015, with a rapid spread to surrounding countries. In Panama, the outbreak began in November 2015 in an indigenous community located on the Caribbean side of the country. Zika virus is typically associated with a diffuse rash, fever, and conjunctivitis.

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