The Infectious Diseases Hospital “Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz" is a public metropolitan-area hospital serving Buenos Aires, Argentina and the surrounding area since 1882. As the name implies, the hospital specializes in infectious diseases. The address for the hospital is Uspallata 2272 and is located in the neighborhood of Parque Patricios in Buenos Aires.
Hantavirus infection remains a major challenge in intensive care medicine because of its rapid progression, high mortality, and limited therapeutic options. This narrative review summarizes current evidence regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, infection control, and critical care management of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), with particular focus on Andes virus (ANDV) infection in South America. Hantaviruses are zoonotic RNA viruses transmitted mainly through inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta. Unlike other hantaviruses, ANDV has demonstrated sustained person-to-person transmission, particularly in Argentina and Chile, creating important implications for infection prevention and hospital isolation measures. HCPS is characterized by a prodromal febrile phase followed by abrupt cardiopulmonary deterioration with non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, shock, and respiratory failure. Early recognition is essential and relies on epidemiological exposure combined with laboratory findings such as thrombocytopenia, hemoconcentration, neutrophilia, immunoblasts in peripheral blood, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Confirmatory diagnosis is based on serology and RT-qPCR. Management remains primarily supportive. Careful fluid administration, vasopressor support, invasive mechanical ventilation with lung-protective strategies, and early transfer to experienced intensive care units are critical. Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has emerged as a potentially lifesaving therapy in refractory cases, with encouraging survival outcomes in specialized centers. Current evidence does not support routine corticosteroid use, although they may be considered in selected patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Ribavirin has not demonstrated benefit during the cardiopulmonary phase, whereas convalescent plasma remains a promising but still investigational therapy. Prevention, rapid diagnosis, strict infection control, and timely organ support remain the cornerstones of HCPS management.
In March 2025, the Americas Health Foundation (AHF) convened a regional meeting, in Bogotá, Colombia, of the Latin America Dengue Task Force, a multidisciplinary regional group of arbovirus specialists, to address the growing challenges posed by dengue in the region. The primary objective of the meeting was to analyze the regional dengue landscape, identify gaps and barriers that hinder a comprehensive approach, and develop a strategic blueprint for advancing control and prevention in Latin America. The Task Force conducted a thorough review of dengue-related issues, drawing on participants’ professional expertise in vaccination, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, vector control, environmental determinants, and regulatory and policy frameworks. Key barriers identified include underreporting, widespread insecticide resistance, structural weaknesses in the health system, fragmented surveillance, financial and political constraints, and socioeconomic drivers. Based on these findings, actionable recommendations were developed to optimize regional dengue surveillance, strengthen prevention and diagnosis strategies, and improve coordination among stakeholders. This narrative review summarizes the epidemiological context, presents expert guidance to overcome existing limitations, and outlines strategies to advance integrated dengue control in Latin America.
Abstract We genotyped 1189 multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates identified during 2013–2022 in Argentina, through a mixed strategy using PCR-based methods and whole-genome sequencing. Epidemiological, geographic distribution and microbiological data were integrated. Most cases belonged to a cluster and orphan cases were associated with history of poor adherence to treatment and foreign-born patients. The Euro-American lineage4 was predominant. The most important clusters, M, Ra, Rb and Callao2 strains, comprised 45.9% of the newly diagnosed cases. The historically most important M strain started to decline. The Rb strain was found to be geographically widespread and was strongly associated with transgender women. The Callao2 strain, probably imported from Peru, expanded significantly in the latest years. A preliminary genomic analysis identified several possible local transmission chains. The relatively low proportion of preXDR/XDR cases is encouraging but deserves close monitoring. Collectively, our results constitute important groundwork for the full transition to WGS-based surveillance. One-sentence summary We evaluated the genotypes associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Argentina, 2013–2022.
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (Mtbc), remains a significant global health challenge, with Mtbc once again being the leading infectious killer worldwide. Despite over a century of research, the disease continues to pose a major threat, with an estimated one-fourth of the global population latently infected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.3 million deaths were attributed to TB in 2024 alone. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains, resistant to rifampicin (and may also be resistant to isoniazid), to at least one fluoroquinolone (levofloxacin or moxifloxacin) and to at least one other Group A drug (bedaquiline or linezolid), further complicates the situation, posing significant challenges for healthcare systems. While the WHO definition of XDR-TB has recently been updated, in this study we applied the classification in effect during the 2006–2015 period, when the isolates were collected and characterized. In Argentina, TB burden is moderate compared to other countries, with approximately 10,500 new cases and 1,000 deaths reported annually. While standard therapy is generally effective, XDR Mtb infections require prolonged and costly treatment and are often associated with a guarded prognosis. In this work, we applied whole-genome sequencing analysis to characterise XDR-TB strains circulating in Argentina between 2006 and 2015. Genotypic variants of each isolate were compared against resistance-associated variant databases and subjected to local and global phylogenetic analyses. The analysis revealed no common origins for the most frequently observed resistance mutations. Notable variants associated with resistance to first-line drugs included katG Ser315Thr and fabG1 -15C < T for isoniazid, rpoB Ser450Leu and Asp435Val for rifampin, embB Gly406Ala, and Met306Ile for ethambutol, as well as multiple variants in the pncA gene linked to pyrazinamide resistance. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in M. tuberculosis, specifically focusing on XDR strains circulating in Argentina. The findings highlight the genetic diversity and complexity of resistance-associated variants, emphasizing the need for continued research and surveillance efforts to address this pressing global health threat. Not applicable.
