Info request on Kala-Azar

[Richard Montanari]

Date: Mon,  1 May 1995, Hrs 21:45:00 (+ 06:00 GMT)
From: "Richard Montanari" <rm at driktap.tool.nl>

I have just been added to the list leish-l. I am a medical officer
epodemiologist working with WHO in Bangladesh for the last 2 and a half year.
We are setting up a kala-azar control program for the endemic areas of the
country. I have two questions.

1) Our first line treatment regimen is Sodium Antimony Gluconate (SAG) 20mg/kg
body weight daily for 20 days (with a maximum daily adult dose of 850mg).
If a patient defaults, (i.e. stops taking the SAG drug daily dose) what is the
maximum acceptable number of days of non compliance (i.e. without the daily
dose) before treament has to start all over again?


2) We are carrying out some sero epidemiological studies. The Direct
Agglutination Test (DAT) is being used with some constraints. A rapid sero
diagnostic test to detect specific Ab has been developed as a dip-stix method.
Can anybody provide the address including the E-mail address of the
manufacturing company? Additional information on cost and use of this test in
various settings is welcomed.

Regards Richard.