Resumo

SERRANO, JA  e  SANDOVAL, AA. The mycetoma. review. Rev. Soc. Ven. Microbiol. [online]. 2003, vol.23, n.1, pp.70-79. ISSN 1315-2556.

    The authors present an overview on mycetomas, both actinomycetomas and eumycetomas. They provide an up to date summary of these infections produced by bacteria as well as fungi. They review the history of mycetomas and include specific information from some Latin American countries. They update aspects related to the epidemiology, the clinical diagnosis, microbiology, serology and radiology. They summarize some new mycetoma developments such as the use of ultrasound. They show sample collection techniques using fine needle aspiration for cytology of mycetomas. Moreover, they discuss the different treatments of mycetomas and provide suggestions to reduce the social impact of these diseases. Apparently, in addition of being an important health problem, mycetomas have also become a major social issue.

Palavras-chave : Micetoma; actinomicetos; actinomicetoma; Nocardia.