[leish-l] Fwd: Articles found by RefScout 2005/11/29 - 2005/48
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REQUEST: [ leishmaniasis ]
(17 articles match this request)
PMID: 16309499
TITLE: Inducible nitric oxide synthase and cytokine pattern in lesions of
patients with American cutaneous leishmaniasis.
AUTHORS: N L DÃaz, F A Arveláez, O Zerpa, F J Tapia
AFFILIATION: Institute of Biomedicine, Central University of Venezuela, A
Caracas, Venezuela.
REFERENCE: Clin Exp Dermatol 2006 Jan 31(1):114-7
Summary American tegumentary leishmaniasis has three forms: localized (
LCL), found in resistant individuals; diffuse (DCL), found in
susceptible individuals; and intermediate cutaneous leishmaniasis (ICL
), found in individuals with exacerbated immunity. We evaluated
cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lesions of LCL,
ICL and DCL using immunohistochemistry. LCL granulomas showed a
preponderance of interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-12
expression, whereas ICL granulomas had more IL-4-, IL-10- and mainly
transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1-expressing cells. Higher
densities of iNOS+ cells were observed in ICL and LCL than in DCL. iNOS
was also expressed in keratinocytes of LCL and ICL lesions, and in
epidermal dendritic cells of ICL lesions. In LCL and ICL, most
keratinocytes expressed IL-12 and a portion expressed IFN-gamma. IL-12+
and IFN-gamma+ dendritic cells were absent or sparse in LCL and ICL
epidermis. Our results show the importance of iNOS, IL-12 and INF-gamma
in LCL and ICL lesions, emphasizing the existence of a mixed cytokine
pattern in ICL different from the Th1 and Th2 responses established in
LCL and DCL lesions.
PMID: 16309528
TITLE: A sandfly in Surrey? A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the United
Kingdom without history of recent travel to an endemic area.
AUTHORS: S Darne, S A Sinclair
REFERENCE: Clin Exp Dermatol 2006 Jan 31(1):155-6
PMID: 16302103
TITLE: Pharmacokinetic and parasitological evaluation of the bone marrow of dogs
with visceral leishmaniasis submitted to multiple dose treatment with
liposome-encapsulated meglumine antimoniate.
AUTHORS: D A Schettini, A P Costa Val, L F Souza, C Demicheli, O G F Rocha, M N
Melo, M S M Michalick, F Frézard
AFFILIATION: Departamento de Fisiologia e BiofÃsica, Instituto de Ciências
Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
REFERENCE: Braz J Med Biol Res 2005 Dec 38(12):1879-83
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a multiple
dose regimen of a liposomal formulation of meglumine antimoniate (LMA)
on the pharmacokinetics of antimony in the bone marrow of dogs with
visceral leishmaniasis and on the ability of LMA to eliminate parasites
from this tissue. Dogs naturally infected with Leishmania chagasi
received 4 intravenous doses of either LMA (6.5 mg antimony/kg body
weight, N = 9), or empty liposomes (at the same lipid dose as LMA, N = 9
) at 4-day intervals. A third group of animals was untreated (N = 8).
Before each administration and at different times after treatment, bone
marrow was obtained and analyzed for antimony level (LMA group) by
electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, and for the presence of
Leishmania parasites (all groups). There was a significant increase of
antimony concentration from 0.76 microg/kg wet organ (4 days after the
first dose) to 2.07 microg/kg (4 days after the fourth dose) and a half-
life of 4 days for antimony elimination from the bone marrow. Treatment
with LMA significantly reduced the number of dogs positive for parasites
(with at least one amastigote per 1000 host cells) compared to controls
(positive dogs 30 days after treatment: 0 of 9 in the LMA group, 3 of 9
in the group treated with empty liposomes and 3 of 8 in the untreated
group). However, complete elimination of parasites was not achieved. In
conclusion, the present study showed that multiple dose treatment with
LMA was effective in improving antimony levels in the bone marrow of
dogs with visceral leishmaniasis and in reducing the number of positive
animals, even though it was not sufficient to achieve complete
elimination of parasites.
PMID: 16309457
TITLE: Immunologic memory in cutaneous leishmaniasis.
AUTHORS: Phillip Scott
AFFILIATION: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
REFERENCE: Cell Microbiol 2005 Dec 7(12):1707-13
Leishmania major infections induce solid immunity to reinfection.
Experimental studies in mice indicate that the CD4+ T cells responsible
for this immunity include two populations: parasite-dependent T effector
cells and parasite-independent central memory T (Tcm) cells. While
there currently is no vaccine for leishmaniasis, the existence of a long
-lived population of Tcm cells that does not require the continued
presence of live parasites suggests that a vaccine that expands these
cells might be efficacious.
PMID: 16304157
TITLE: Efficacy of orally administered 2-substituted quinolines in experimental
murine cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases.
AUTHORS: Hector Nakayama, Philippe M Loiseau, Christian Bories, Susana Torres de
Ortiz, Alicia Schinini, Elsa Serna, Antonieta Rojas de Arias, Mohamed A
Fakhfakh, Xavier Franck, Bruno Figadère, Reynald Hocquemiller, Alain Fournet
AFFILIATION: IRD US 084 BIODIVAL, Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Faculté de
Pharmacie, rue J. B. Clément, 92296, ChÄtenay-Malabry cedex, France.
Alain.Fournet at ird.fr.
REFERENCE: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2005 Dec 49(12):4950-6
We report in this study the in vivo efficacy of nine 2-substituted
quinolines on the Leishmania amazonensis cutaneous infection murine
model and on the Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani visceral
infection murine models. In the case of the L. amazonensis model,
quinolines were administered orally at 25 mg/kg twice daily for 15 days
. Quinolines 1, 2, 3, and 7 reduced by 80 to 90% the parasite burdens in
the lesion, whereas N-methylglucamine antimoniate (Glucantime),
administered by subcutaneous injections at 100 mg [28 mg Sb(V)] per kg
of body weight daily, reduced the parasite burdens by 98%. In visceral
leishmaniasis due to L. infantum, mice treated orally at 25 mg/kg daily
for 10 days with quinolines 1, 4, 5, and 6 showed a significant
reduction of parasite burdens in the liver and spleen. These quinolines
were significantly more effective than meglumine antimoniate to reduce
the parasite burden in both the liver and spleen. Also, the oral in vivo
activity of three quinolines (quinolines 4, 5, and 2-n-propylquinoline
) were determined against L. donovani (LV 9) at 12.5 and 25 mg/kg for 10
days. Their activity was compared with that of miltefosine at 7.5 mg/kg
. Miltefosine, 2-n-propylquinoline, and quinoline 5 at 12.5 mg/kg
significantly reduced the parasite burdens in the liver by 72, 66, and
61%, respectively. From the present study, quinoline 5 is the most
promising compound against both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.
The double antileishmanial and antiviral activities of these compounds
suggest that this series could be a potential treatment for coinfection
of Leishmania-human immunodeficiency virus.
PMID: 16297295
TITLE: HIV-1 infection, visceral leishmaniasis, Koch's chest and tuberculous
meningitis in the same patient--a case report.
AUTHORS: K Pandey, P K Sinha, V N R Das, N Kumar, S M Hassan, N Verma, C S Lal,
S Bimal, P Das, S K Bhattacharya
AFFILIATION: Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (ICMR),
Agam Kuan, P.O. Gulzarbagh, Patna - 800007, Bihar, India.
drkrishnapandey at yahoo.com
REFERENCE: Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2005 Dec 99(8):807-11
PMID: 16297287
TITLE: Usefulness of the direct agglutination test in the early detection of
subclinical Leishmania donovani infection: a community-based study.
AUTHORS: S Bimal, V N R Das, P K Sinha, A K Gupta, N Verma, A Ranjan, S K Singh,
A Sen, S K Bhattacharya, P Das
AFFILIATION: Division of Immunology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of
Medical Sciences, Agamkuan, Patna - 800007, India. drsbimal at yahoo.com
REFERENCE: Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2005 Dec 99(8):743-9
The value of a direct agglutination test (DAT) in the detection of
subclinical infections with Leishmania donovani has recently been
investigated in the Indian state of Bihar, after the sensitivity and
specificity of the test had been determined. When used to screen sera
from 108 parasitologically confirmed cases of visceral leishmaniasis, 50
patients with active, non-leishmanial infection, and 641 healthy
controls living close to, or distant from, an endemic area, the test was
found to be 91.7% sensitive and 100% specific if a titre of 1:800 was
used as the threshold for seropositivity.During a longitudinal clinical
study in a rural, VL-endemic area of the Indian state of Bihar, the test
was used, with 1:800 set as the threshold titre, to determine the
baseline prevalence of infection with L. donovani among villagers who,
though showing no symptoms of VL, had recently been febrile for at least
2 weeks. The 234 subjects of this study were either VL-case contacts [i
.e. members of households in which there were active or cured VL cases (
N=78)] or the members of control households with no cases or history of
the disease (N=156). The results of DAT at the start of the study
indicated that 49 (20.9%) of the subjects--29 (37.2%) of the VL-case
contacts and 20 (12.8%) of the other subjects--were seropositive and
therefore probably had subclinical infections with L. donovani. During
the subsequent 9 months of follow-up, however, only eight of the
subjects found seropositive at the start of the study--seven (24.1%) of
the seropositive case contacts but only one (5.0%) of the other
seropositives--developed symptomatic VL, all by month 6 of the follow-up
. Compared with their neighbours, therefore, individuals who shared
households with active or cured cases of VL appeared at greater risk not
only of L. donovani infection (indicating focal transmission) but also
of developing symptomatic disease once infected. Curiously, among the
seropositive case contacts, those from the households that harboured
active cases of VL at the baseline survey were less likely to develop
symptomatic VL during the 9 months of follow-up than those from
households that harboured only cured cases (18.8% v. 30.8%). The wide-
spread use of DAT could allow the detection and early treatment of
latent L. donovani infections and so contribute to the elimination of VL
, at least as a public-health problem, from India.
PMID: 16302102
TITLE: Antiprotozoal and molluscicidal activities of five Brazilian plants.
AUTHORS: M C T Truiti, I C P Ferreira, M L M Zamuner, C V Nakamura, M H
Sarragiotto, M C Souza
AFFILIATION: Departamento de Farmácia e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da
Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá
REFERENCE: Braz J Med Biol Res 2005 Dec 38(12):1873-8
Leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease and schistosomiasis (bilharzia) are
parasitic diseases with wide distribution on the American continent,
affecting millions of people. In the present study, biological assays
for antiprotozoal and molluscicidal activities were carried out with
ethanolic extracts of plant species from the Brazilian part of the Upper
Paraná River. Crude extracts were obtained by percolation with
absolute ethanol from the leaves of Cayaponia podantha Cogn., Nectandra
falcifolia (Nees) Castiglioni and Paullinia elegans Cambess., as well as
from the aerial parts of Helicteres gardneriana St. Hil. & Naud.
and Melochia arenosa Benth., all belonging to genera used in folk
medicine. Trypanocidal activity of plants was assayed on epimastigote
cultures in liver infusion tryptose. Anti-leishmanial activity was
determined over cultures of promastigote forms of the parasite in
Schneider's Drosophila medium. Microscopic countings of parasites, after
their incubation in the presence of different concentrations of the
crude extracts, were made in order to determine the percentage of growth
inhibition. C. podantha and M. arenosa, at a concentration of 10 microg
/mL, showed 90.4 +/- 11.52 and 88.9 +/- 2.20% growth inhibition,
respectively, of epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, whereas N.
falcifolia demonstrated an LD50 of 138.5 microg/mL against promastigote
forms of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Regarding molluscicidal
activity, the acute toxicity of the extracts on Biomphalaria glabrata
was evaluated by a rapid screening procedure. M. arenosa was 100% lethal
to snails at 200 microg/mL and showed an LD50 of 143 microg/mL.
Screening of plant extracts represents a continuous effort to find new
antiparasitic drugs.
PMID: 16311355
TITLE: Unusual duodenal presentation of leishmaniasis.
AUTHORS: M L Alvarez-Nebreda, E Alvarez-Fernández, S Rada, F Brañas, E
Marañón, M T Vidán, J A Serra-Rexach
AFFILIATION: Geriatrics Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio
Marañón, 28007 Madrid, Spain.
REFERENCE: J Clin Pathol 2005 Dec 58(12):1321-2
This case report describes an atypical case of duodenal leishmaniasis in
an elderly patient not infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
Investigation of this 84 year old woman with a constitutional syndrome
and dysphagia revealed anaemia of chronic disorder, a high erythrocyte
sedimentation rate, and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia. Abdominal
ultrasonography revealed thickening of the stomach wall, which was seen
to be inflamed during gastroscopy. Duodenal histology revealed numerous
leishmania amastigotes within macrophages. This was confirmed by bone
marrow biopsy and leishmania serology. This case report stresses the
importance of atypical symptoms and the unusual location of visceral
leishmaniasis, not only in immunodepressed patients, but also in elderly
immunocompetent patients.
PMID: 16310148
TITLE: Treatment options for visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review of
clinical studies done in India, 1980-2004.
AUTHORS: Piero L Olliaro, Philippe J Guerin, Sibylle Gerstl, Astrid Aga
Haaskjold, John-Arne Rottingen, Shyam Sundar
AFFILIATION: UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme on Research and
Training in Tropical Diseases, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland; Centre for Tropical
Medicine and Vaccinology, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford,
UK.
REFERENCE: Lancet Infect Dis 2005 Dec 5(12):763-74
The state of Bihar in India carries the largest share of the world's
burden of antimony-resistant visceral leishmaniasis. We analysed
clinical studies done in Bihar with different treatments between 1980
and 2004. Overall, 53 studies were included (all but one published), of
which 15 were comparative (randomised, quasi-randomised, or non-
randomised), 23 dose-finding, and 15 non-comparative. Data from
comparative studies were pooled when appropriate for meta-analysis.
Overall, these studies enrolled 7263 patients in 123 treatment arms.
Adequacy of methods used to do the studies and report on them varied.
Unresponsiveness to antimony has developed steadily in the past to such
an extent that antimony must now be replaced, despite attempts to stop
its progression by increasing dose and duration of therapy. The classic
second-line treatments are unsuited: pentamidine is toxic and its
efficacy has also declined, and amphotericin B deoxycholate is effective
but requires hospitalisation for long periods and toxicity is common.
Liposomal amphotericin B is very effective and safe but currently
unaffordable because of its high price. Miltefosine-the first oral drug
for visceral leishmaniasis-is now registered and marketed in India and
is effective, but should be used under supervision to prevent misuse.
Paromomycin (or aminosidine) is effective and safe, and although not yet
available, a regulatory submission is due soon. To preserve the limited
armamentarium of drugs to treat visceral leishmaniasis, drugs should
not be deployed unprotected; combinations can make drugs last longer,
improve treatment, and reduce costs to households and health systems.
India, Bangladesh, and Nepal agreed recently to undertake measures
towards the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis. The lessons learnt in
Bihar could help inform policy decisions both regionally and elsewhere.
PMID: 16311916
TITLE: Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in human cutaneous
leishmaniasis.
AUTHORS: Gamze Serarslan, Esin Atik
AFFILIATION: Department of Dermatology, Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of
Medicine, 31100, Hatay, Turkey.
REFERENCE: Mol Cell Biochem 2005 Dec 280(1-2):147-9
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an infectious disease caused by
Leishmania parasite. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (
iNOS) and generation of nitric oxide in response to IFN-gamma and TNF-
alpha is important in control of infection. The aim of the study was to
determine the expression of iNOS in the lesions of Leishmania tropica,
and whether there was a correlation between the level of expression and
the duration of the disease. Punch biopsy was performed from patients (n
= 29) and iNOS immunohistochemical staining was applied. Expression of
iNOS protein was detected 82.8% of patients. There was a strong
expression with the duration of the disease less than 6 months (p < 0
.002). These findings demonstrate that iNOS has a role in L. tropica
especially during the early stages of the infection. (Mol Cell Biochem
xxx: 147-149, 2005).
PMID: 16305646
TITLE: Immune response in human visceral leishmaniasis: analysis of the
correlation between innate immunity cytokine profile and disease outcome.
AUTHORS: V Peruhype-Magalhães, O A Martins-Filho, A Prata, L de A Silva, A
Rabello, A Teixeira-Carvalho, R M Figueiredo, S F Guimarães-Carvalho, T C A
Ferrari, R Correa-Oliveira
AFFILIATION: Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerias, Brazil.
REFERENCE: Scand J Immunol 2005 Nov 62(5):487-95
We investigated the cytokine profile of cells of the innate immune
response and its association with active (ACT), asymptomatic (AS) and
cured (CUR) human visceral leishmaniasis (VL), as well as noninfected (
NI) subjects. The frequency of cytokine-producing cells was determined
after short-term in vitro incubation of whole peripheral blood samples
with soluble Leishmania antigen (SLA). Our data demonstrated a
predominant type 2 cytokine profile in NI and ACT. In NI, we observed an
increase of IL-4(+) neutrophils, IL-10(+) eosinophils besides a
decrease of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha(+) eosinophils/monocytes
. Yet in ACT, we observed an increase of IL-4(+) neutrophils and natural
killer (NK) cells and IL-10(+) monocytes, a reduced frequency of IL-12
(+) and IFN-gamma(+) eosinophils and lower levels of TNF-alpha(+) and IL
-12(+) monocytes. AS presented a mixed profile, characterized by an
increase of IFN-gamma(+) neutrophils/eosinophils and NK cells, of IL-12
(+) eosinophils/monocytes, as well as increase of IL-4(+) neutrophils
and NK cells and IL-10(+) eosinophils/monocytes. In contrast, CUR was
characterized by a type 1 response with an increase of IFN-gamma(+)
neutrophils/eosinophils and NK cells, associated with an increase in IL-
12(+) monocytes. In conclusion, we show a correlation between innate
immune cytokine patterns and clinical status of VL, suggesting that
these cells, in addition to other factors, may contribute to the
cytokine microenvironment in which Leishmania-specific T cells are
primed and to disease outcome.
PMID: 16304863
TITLE: Leishmaniasis--an impending epidemic.
AUTHORS: Zohra Zaidi Karachi
REFERENCE: J Pak Med Assoc 2005 Nov 55(11):468-9
PMID: 16304865
TITLE: Childhood visceral leishmaniasis in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir:
frequency and response to treatment in 61 cases.
AUTHORS: Chauhdry Altaf, Parvez Ahmed, Tanveer Ashraf, Masood Anwar, Irfan
Ahmed
AFFILIATION: Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi, Azad Kashmir
Combined Military Hospital, Muzaffarabad.
REFERENCE: J Pak Med Assoc 2005 Nov 55(11):475-8
OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology and status of resistance to
antimonial compounds of paediatric hospital population with visceral
leishmaniasis in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. METHODS
: Children admitted between January to December 1999 in Azad Kashmir
Combined Military Hospital Muzaffarabad and diagnosed as Visceral
Leishmaniasis by demonstration of Leishmania parasites in bone marrow
aspirate were included in the study. Patients received meglumine
antimoniate for 21 days. The demographic information and time taken for
resolution of fever after initiation of treatment were recorded. RESULTS
: During study period out of 3520 paediatric admissions, 61 patients had
visceral leishmaniasis. The frequency of disease was 1.73%. Median age
of the patients was 18 months. Eighty two percent cases reported during
non-winter seasons. Fifty nine (96.7%) patients responded to treatment
with antimonial compounds. Median time taken for resolution of fever was
5.7 days. Two of the patients died during the study period. CONCLUSION
: Childhood visceral leishmaniasis is common in Muzaffarabad and there
is no resistance to antimonial compounds.
PMID: 16294187
TITLE: [Visceral leishmaniasis and sarcoidosis]
AUTHORS: P Mulliez, C Croxo, J L Demory
REFERENCE: Rev Mal Respir 2005 Sep 22(4):681-2
PMID: 16308231
TITLE: Report of an atypical case of leishmaniasis presented as acute
tonsillitis in an immunocompetent patient.
AUTHORS: Sofoclis Kouyialis, Stefanos Archontakis, Charalambos Bilinis,
Stavriani Nikolaou, Evgenia Stavropoulou, Charilaos Samaras, Christos
Sarafoglou, Irene Nicolaou, Aikaterini Parasi, Maria Minadaki
AFFILIATION: From the Second Internal Medicine Department of General State
Hospital of Nikea-Piraeus, Nikea-Piraeus.
REFERENCE: Scand J Infect Dis 2005 37(11):916-8
Visceral leishmaniasis typically presents with symptoms such as fever,
enlargement of the spleen and the liver, hypergammaglobulinaemia and
infection of the bone marrow resulting in anaemia and leukopenia. The
disease is sporadic in the countries of the Mediterranean basin. We
report an unusual case of acute tonsillitis due to tonsillar
leishmaniasis, in an immunocompetent 34-y-old male patient. Diagnosis
was confirmed by serological tests and histopathological examination
following biopsy of the right tonsil. The patient was successfully
treated with liposomal amphotericin-B.
PMID: 16308238
TITLE: Subclinical hypothyroidism in a patient affected by advanced AIDS and
visceral leishmaniasis.
AUTHORS: Roberto Ranieri, Anna Veronelli, Claudia Santambrogio, Livio Colombo,
Antonio Ettore Pontiroli
AFFILIATION: From the Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Ospedale San Paolo,
Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
REFERENCE: Scand J Infect Dis 2005 37(11):935-7
Hypothyroidism has been shown to occur in HIV disease. Thyroid function
of patients affected by AIDS and leishmaniasis is unknown. Here we
report the case of an AIDS advanced patient developing hypothyroidism
during leishmaniasis. The thyroid disorder might have been caused by
infiltration of the gland by Leishmania. An additive impact of HIV in
thyroid function impairment is suggested.
REQUEST: [ leishmania ]
(19 articles match this request. 12 articles matching other requests removed)
PMID: 16168460
TITLE: Synthesis and in vitro antileishmanial activity of
5-substituted-2'-deoxyuridine derivatives.
AUTHORS: Corinne Peyron, Rachid Benhida, Christian Bories, Philippe M Loiseau
AFFILIATION: Laboratoire de Chimie Bioorganique UMR-CNRS 6001, Université de
Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Parc Valrose F-06108, Nice Cédex 2, France.
REFERENCE: Bioorg Chem 2005 Dec 33(6):439-47
We report herein the synthesis and the in vitro antileishmanial
evaluation of 5-substituted-2'-deoxyuridine nucleosides. The most active
compound against Leishmania donovani promastigotes was Thia-dU (3a)
with an IC(50)=3muM. This compound exhibited the same activity as
zidovudine (3'-azido-2'-deoxythymidine) used as nucleoside reference
compound. Considering the cytotoxicity of synthetic compounds on
peritoneal murine macrophages, the most toxic compound was MeThio-dU (3d
) with a MTC at 10muM. Only Methia-dU (3b) was active against
intramacrophagic amastigotes with an IC(50)=6.5muM. This latter can now
be evaluated in vivo, for further investigations through structure-based
drug design.
PMID: 16300117
TITLE: Myocarditis and generalised vasculitis associated with leishmaniosis in a
dog.
AUTHORS: E Torrent, M Leiva, J Segalés, J Franch, T Peña, B Cabrera, J Pastor
AFFILIATION: Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad Autónoma de
Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
REFERENCE: J Small Anim Pract 2005 Nov 46(11):549-52
A three-year-old, female bulldog was presented with bilateral uveitis,
apathy, listlessness, generalised lymphadenopathy and perivulvar
haematoma. The initial laboratory studies showed non-regenerative
anaemia, polyclonal gammopathy and a high urine protein:creatinine ratio
. Serology for leishmaniosis was positive and treatment with allopurinol
and meglumine antimoniate was started. Despite treatment, the dog's
clinical condition deteriorated. Signs included cutaneous ecchymosis,
respiratory distress and finally cardiorespiratory arrest.
Histopathological studies of postmortem tissue samples revealed a
generalised vasculitis of several internal organs and severe myocarditis
. Leishmania species organisms were identified in affected tissues using
immunoperoxidase labelling and PCR techniques.
PMID: 16242845
TITLE: cDNA cloning and functional expression of KM+, the mannose-binding lectin
from Artocarpus integrifolia seeds.
AUTHORS: Luis L P Dasilva, Jeanne Blanco de Molfetta-Machado, Ademilson
Panunto-Castelo, Jurgen Denecke, Gustavo Henrique Goldman, Maria-Cristina
Roque-Barreira, Maria Helena S Goldman
AFFILIATION: Depto. Biologia, FFCLRP/Universidade de São Paulo, Av.
Bandeirantes, 3900 Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-901, Brazil.
REFERENCE: Biochim Biophys Acta 2005 Nov 1726(3):251-60
KM+, a mannose-binding lectin present in the seeds of Artocarpus
integrifolia, has interesting biological properties and potential
pharmaceutical use [A. Panunto-Castelo, M.A. Souza, M.C. Roque-Barreira
, J.S. Silva, KM(+), a lectin from Artocarpus integrifolia, induces IL-
12 p40 production by macrophages and switches from type 2 to type 1 cell
-mediated immunity against Leishmania major antigens, resulting in BALB/
c mice resistance to infection, Glycobiology 11 (2001) 1035-1042. ; L.L.
P. daSilva, A. Panunto-Castelo, M.H.S. Goldman, M.C. Roque-Barreira, R.S
. Oliveira, M.D. Baruffi, J.B. Molfetta-Machado, Composition for
preventing or treating appearance of epithelia wounds such as skin and
corneal wounds or for immunomodulating, comprises lectin, Patent number
WO20041008. ]. Here, we have isolated clones encoding the full-length KM
+ primary sequence from a cDNA library, through matrix PCR-based
screening methodology. Analysis of KM+ nucleotide and deduced amino acid
sequences provided strong evidence that it neither enters the secretory
pathway nor undergoes post-translational modifications, which is in
sharp contrast with jacalin, the more abundant lectin from A.
integrifolia seeds. Current investigations into the KM+ properties are
often impaired by the difficulty in obtaining sufficient quantities of
jacalin-free KM+ through direct seed extraction. To obtain active
recombinant protein (rKM+) in larger amounts, we tested three different
expression systems. Expression vectors were constructed to produce: (a)
rKM+ in E. coli in its native form, (b) rKM+ with GST as an N-terminal
tag and (c) native rKM+ in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The presence of the
GST-tag significantly improved the overall rKM+ yield; however, most of
the obtained rGST-KM+ was insoluble. Production of rKM+ in the yeast
host yielded the highest quantities of soluble lectin that retained the
typical high-mannose oligosaccharide-binding properties of the natural
protein. The possible biotechnological applications of recombinant KM+
are discussed.
PMID: 16311383
TITLE: Survey of zoonoses recorded in Scotland between 1993 and 2002.
AUTHORS: W C Stewart, K G J Pollock, L M Browning, D Young, A Smith-Palmer, W J
Reilly
AFFILIATION: Health Protection Scotland, Clifton House, Clifton Place, Glasgow
g3 7ln.
REFERENCE: Vet Rec 2005 Nov 157(22):697
All the human and animal laboratory reports of zoonoses sent to Health
Protection Scotland between 1993 and 2002 were identified. There were 24
,946 reports from veterinary laboratories, and 94,718 (20 per cent) of
the 468,214 reports from medical laboratories were considered to be
zoonotic. The most common reports of zoonoses from people were
Campylobacter, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium and Giardia species and
Escherichia coli o157. The most common reports of zoonoses from animals
were Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Chlamydia and Campylobacter species
and Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis. For all the zoonoses in people
, the National Health Service Board areas Borders, Dumfries and Galloway
, Forth Valley, Grampian, Lanarkshire and Lothian had a higher than
expected standardised incidence rate of infection, whereas Ayrshire and
Arran, Fife, Greater Glasgow, Shetland, Tayside and Western Isles had a
lower than expected rate. The organisms and diseases considered to be
new and emerging were Rhodococcus species, Cyclospora cayetanensis,
Leishmania species, Pneumocystis carinii (jiroveci) and bovine
spongiform encephalopathy/variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
PMID: 16302071
TITLE: Leishmania (Viannia) lainsoni (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), a
divergent Leishmania of the Viannia subgenus: a mini review.
AUTHORS: José R Corrêa, Reginaldo P Brazil, Maurilio J Soares
AFFILIATION: Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Microrganismos, Departamento de
Ultra-estrutura e Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de
Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brasil.
REFERENCE: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2005 Oct 100(6):687-92
Leishmania (Viannia) lainsoni is the Leishmania species that presents
the most distinct biological (morphology, growth in axenic culture
medium), biochemical (enzymatic electrophoresis profile), and molecular
biology characteristics, when compared to other species of the Viannia
subgenus. Development of promastigote forms of this parasite attached to
the wall of the pyloric and hind gut regions of sand fly vectors is a
solid characteristic that allows its positioning in the Viannia subgenus
. However, taxonomic data from biochemical and molecular techniques on
this Leishmania species are still not conclusive. It is evident the
difficulty in taxonomically positioning this borderline Leishmania
species. In this review we present the data accumulated since L. (
Viannia) lainsoni has been described and we discuss its position in the
Viannia subgenus.
PMID: 16302061
TITLE: Experimental infection of Leishmania (L.) chagasi in a cell line derived
from Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera:Psychodidae).
AUTHORS: Felio J Bello, Astrid J MejÃa, MarÃa Del Pilar Corena, Martha Ayala,
Ladys Sarmiento, Claudio Zuñiga, MarÃa T Palau
AFFILIATION: Laboratorio de EntomologÃa, BiologÃa Celular y Genética,
Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia.
REFERENCE: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2005 Oct 100(6):619-25
The present work describes the in vitro infection of a cell line Lulo,
derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis embryonic tissue, by Leishmania
chagasi promastigotes. This infection process is compared with a
parallel one developed using the J774 cell line. The L. chagasi MH/CO/84
/CI-044B strain was used for experimental infection in two cell lines.
The cells were seeded on glass coverslips in 24-well plates to reach a
final number of 2 x 10(5) cells/well. Parasites were added to the
adhered Lulo and J774 cells in a 10:1 ratio and were incubated at 28 and
37 masculineC respectively. After 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days post-
infection, the cells were extensively washed with PBS, fixed with
methanol, and stained with Giemsa. The number of internalized parasites
was determined by counting at least 400 cultured cells on each coverslip
. The results showed continuous interaction between L. chagasi
promastigotes with the cell lines. Some ultrastructural characteristics
of the amastigote forms were observed using transmission electron
microscopy. The highest percentage of infection in Lulo cells was
registered on day 6 post-infection (29.6%) and on day 4 in the J774
cells (51%). This work shows similarities and differences in the L.
chagasi experimental infection process in the two cell lines. However,
Lulo cells emerge as a new model to study the life-cycle of this
parasite.
PMID: 16305434
TITLE: Targeted drug delivery to macrophages in parasitic infections.
AUTHORS: M Owais, C M Gupta
AFFILIATION: Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University,
Aligarh 202 002, India, & Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226 001,
India. drcmg at satyam.net.in.
REFERENCE: Curr Drug Deliv 2005 Oct 2(4):311-8
Successful homing of drugs to the desired biological compartment of the
host usually depends on the intrinsic properties of the drug molecules.
However, it can always be manipulated by appropriate designing of the
carrier/delivery system, as little can be done to influence the target
and its surroundings. Various carrier systems have emerged to deliver
drugs to macrophages, albeit the efficacy, reliability and selectivity
of these carriers are still in question. To date, the most extensively
studied carriers are liposomes and microspheres. In fact,
physicochemical properties of these carriers can alter their efficacy
and specificity to a great extent. These properties include
hydrophilicity, surface charge, composition, concentration, and presence
of various target specific ligands on their surface. Incidentally, the
particulate nature of these vehicles may facilitate passive homing of
the entrapped drug molecules to the macrophages, which may harbour many
of the important pathogens in their intracellular compartments, such as
Mycobacterium sps, Leishmania and dengue virus etc., belonging to three
different major classes of microbes. Moreover, macrophages upon
interaction with particulate drug delivery vehicles may act as secondary
drug depot, thus helping in localized delivery of the drug at the
infected site. In the present article, a comprehensive review of
literature is presented on the suitability of some lipid-based and
polymeric materials as vehicles in delivery of drugs to macrophages in
parasitic infections.
REQUEST: [ sand fly ]
(2 articles match this request. 2 articles matching other requests removed)
REQUEST: [ sandfly ]
(1 article matches this request. 1 article matching other requests removed)
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