Promed Message HIV/VL

[Jeffrey Shaw]

A ProMED-mail post [copy]
<http://www.healthnet.org/programs/promed.html>


Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 18:27:34 +0200
From: "michaeli dan @ micky" <michaeli at netvision.net.il>


The item on coincidence of visceral leismaniasis with HIV infection is
intriguing. For many years The fact that _L.tropica_ was producing cutaneous
leishmaniasis in man but in other species would cause muco-cutaneous disease
(e.g.  psamomys) was interpreted as due to different types of cellular
immune reactions of different species. _L.donovani_ is not producing the
same reaction in man and this is the explanation for its hematological
spread, thus producing the visceral form of the disease. Now this
association raises, in my mind, the possibility that we may not be dealing
with _L.donovani_ but maybe with _L.tropica_ that infects a host with a
modified cellular reaction as the result of the effect of the HIV infection.
Therefore it would be very
interesting to know if in those cases of visceral leishmaniasis that are
reported in association with HIV infection, the serological type of the
leishmania was definitely established. Maybe DNA fingerprinting should be
done in those cases?

Would anybody wish to comment on this idea?

- --
Dan Michaeli
Kupat Holim Clalit
101 Arlozorov st
Tel Aviv 62098, Israel
<michaeli at netvision.net.il>
..................................jw