Reactivation

felix j. tapia ftapia at telcel.net.ve
Wed Jan 27 20:00:06 BRST 1999


Dear Bruce, Jeffrey and leishmaniacs of the World,

The Köebner phenomenon or ability of traumatized, uninvolved skin to
develop disease, is very common in skin diseases such as psoriasis,
vitiligo and leishmaniasis.

In leishmaniasis, the interested persons must read the key articles by
the groups of Sergio Coutinho (Brazil) and Bruno Travi (Colombia).

Trauma, including the application site of a Montenegro skin test, may
activates the parasite and/or immunological memory causing a chronic
immune response with associated tissue damage.  Other factors may be
involved, such as vasodilator peptides (among other, Maxadilan present
in the saliva of Lutzomyia sp.).  The production of TGF-beta in either
traumatized skin or cutaneous sites of reoccurring sandfly bites may
inhibits IFN-gamma activity and antigen presentation by macrophages, and
thus contribute to mmunopathology.
Pure, but interesting, speculation.

Felix J. Tapia

--
----------------------------------------
Felix J. Tapia
ftapia at telcel.net.ve / tapiaf at camelot.rect.ucv.ve
Lab. Biología Molecular, Instituto de Biomedicina
Universidad Central de Venezuela
Apartado 4043, Caracas 1010A, Venezuela
Telf. (582)838277 (directo/fax), (582)8625326, Ext. 4232
Beeper 7310711, clave 00442
Fax (582)8611258

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
Arthur C. Clarke




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