[leish-l] Leishmaniasis in Brazil

Jennie Blackwell Jennie.Blackwell at cimr.cam.ac.uk
Thu Jan 16 15:01:56 BRST 2003


Hi guys

Personally I think it is helpful to use L. chagasi just because then when
people are reading the paper they know that they are dealing with South
American L. infantum.  I bet when we look hard enough we will eventually
find some differences!

Cheers all, Jennie

  On Wed, 15 Jan 2003, Richard Ashford wrote:

> Dear Dr Opperdoes,
>
> In view of the repeated finding by several authors that the agent for South
> American visceral leishmaniasis cannot reliably be distinguished from
> Mediterranean L. infantum, what is your justification for the continued use
> of 'L. chagasi'?
>
> My own view is that geographical distribution is NOT a valid taxonomic
> character, and the continued use of this synonym hides the important
> implication that the infection was almost certainly introduced relatively
> recently from the 'Old World'.
>
> Dick Ashford
>
> --On 14 January 2003 16:27 +0100 "Fred R. Opperdoes"
> <opperdoes at trop.ucl.ac.be> wrote:
>
> > At 10:04 -0500 14/01/03, ProMED Digest wrote:
> >>
> >> Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:04:52 -0500 (EST)
> >> From: ProMED-mail <promed at promed.isid.harvard.edu>
> >> Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis - Brazil (Sao Paulo)
> >>
> >> LEISHMANIASIS ? BRAZIL (SAO PAULO)
> >> ***********************
> >> A ProMED-mail post
> >> <http://www.promedmail.org>
> >> ProMED-mail, a program of the
> >> International Society for Infectious Diseases
> >> <http://www.isid.org>
> >>
> >> Date: 12 Jan 2003
> >> From: ProMED-mail <promed at promedmail.org
> >> Source: Informativo Cosmo 11 Jan 2003 [translated & edited by Mod.MPP]
> >> <http://www.cosmo.com.br/cidades/sjriopreto/2003/01/10/materia_srp_48221
> >> .shtm>
> >>
> >>
> >> The health authorities of Aracatuba [Sao Paulo state] are issuing an
> >> alert about an epidemic of human visceral leishmaniasis in 30
> >> municipalities of the region. In 2002, epidemiological surveillance
> >> reported 43 cases in humans resulting in 4 deaths; there were also 2
> >> deaths in 2001. These deaths have led to the development of a strategic
> >> plan for disease control by the Superintendence of Endemic Disease
> >> Control (Sucen).
> >>
> >> As of Friday [10 Jan 2003], the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit
> >> confirmed the first death this year [2003] attributable to visceral
> >> leishmaniasis, signifying the 11th death due to this disease since its
> >> reappearance in the region in the summer of 1998. The most recent death
> >> [2003] is in an  adult male.
> >>
> >> The Epidemiological Surveillance Unit will investigate whether the death
> >> was due to leishmaniasis or whether the disease was aggravated by an
> >> underlying chronic cirrhosis (liver disease). Most cases have been in
> >> children, especially those living in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods,
> >> due to underlying malnutrition and an association with other diseases
> >> such as pneumonia.
> >>
> >> Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the protozoan _Leishmania_ spp. and
> >> is transmitted by sand flies, which preferentially feed on dogs. For this
> >> reason, disease control is primarily directed at the canine population.
> >> Sucen is testing a type of collar with a mosquito repellant. About 10 000
> >> dogs have been registered [by census] and are followed in Andradina, and
> >> another 2000 in Aracatuba.
> >>
> >> [byline: Salete Duarte]
> >>
> >> - --
> >> ProMED-mail
> >> <promed at promedmail.org>
> >>
> >> [The species of leishmania implicated is _L.chagasi_ and the vectors are
> >> _Lutzomyia_ spp. The animal reservoir includes dogs, foxes, and opossums.
> >> In 1999, 3892 human cases were reported in Brazil, 3200 of which were in
> >> the north eastern states (www.gideon.com), but the prevalence in Sao
> >> Paulo state is not known. Leishmania is one of the infections that
> >> increase following an increase in HIV prevalence. - Mod.EP]
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Jenefer M. Blackwell
Glaxo Professor for Molecular Parasitology
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Wellcome Trust/MRC Building
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Hills Road
Cambridge CB2 2XY

Telephone: +44 1223 336947
Secretary: Sheryl Bailey +44 1223 336852
Fax: +44 1223 331206
Email: jennie.blackwell at cimr.cam.ac.uk





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