(VGIII) Meningoencephalitis Acquired in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

We describe a case of chronic meningoencephalitis with hydrocephalus caused by (VGIII) in an immunocompetent patient from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This first report of a member of the species complex from Bolivia suggests that (VGIII) is present in this tropical region of the country and complements our epidemiological and clinical knowledge of this group of emerging fungal pathogens in South America.

[Respiratory infections and bacteremia caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W].

N. meningitidis serogroup W has recently been introduced into Chile. This serogroup has been associated with hypervirulent strains capable of causing outbreaks.

[Analysis of a clinical ethics consultation experience in intensive care].

Background: Very few patients are presented to ethics committees, and individual ethics consultations are a response to this situation. At the intensive care unit (ICU) in Clínica Alemana, Santiago Chile, an ethics consultation system was organized coordinated with the ethics committee.

Aim: To report an evaluation of this ethics consultation system.

[The debate about the right to die].

The Right to Die is a debatable issue and some basic notions need to be clarified to discuss it. Death needs to be recognized as part of human life. The goal of medicine is to avoid pain and alleviate suffering, to prevent premature death and when this is not possible, to let it occur peacefully.