[leish-l] Trypanosomiasis - India (West Bengal)(02)

[Fred R. Opperdoes]

At 6:40 PM -0500 1/22/05, ProMED Digest wrote:
>Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 13:09:50 -0500 (EST)
>From: ProMED-mail <promed at promed.isid.harvard.edu>
>Subject: PRO/AH> Trypanosomiasis - India (West Bengal)(02)
>
>TRYPANOSOMIASIS - INDIA (WEST BENGAL)(02)
>***************************
>A ProMED-mail post
><http://www.promedmail.org>
>ProMED-mail is a program of the
>International Society for Infectious Diseases
><http://www.isid.org>
>
>Date: Fri 21 Jan 2005
>From: Dr. Louis Touratier <Louistier at aol.com>
>
>
>After reading your posting on trypanosomiasis in India [reference below], I
>would like to know why Dr. Das wrote that " ...vector of sleeping sickness
>is absent in India". Perhaps his patient was not infected by an African
>trypanosome!
>
>I consulted the booklet published in 1977 by ICAR (Indian Council of
>Agricultural Research, New Delhi) 124 p.: " B.S. Gill: Trypanosomes &
>Trypanosomiases of Indian Livestock," a very well-documented review on
>_Trypanosoma evansi_ and _T. equiperdum_ in which the author describes a
>human laboratory contamination by _T. evansi_ that was cured by Atoxyl
>(arsenical derivative) (p. 36).
>
>Unfortunately [a reprint of] this unique report (published in the C.R. of
>the French Acad. Sci. ,1945) is impossible to obtain.  This human case of a
>so-called human trypanosomiasis in Asia has to be compared with a similar
>case occurred in Sri Lanka in 1999.  At that time I was in contact with the
>Sri Lankan epidemiological service and was given some details, but there
>was no follow-up.
>
>- --
>Dr. Louis Touratier
>Secretary general / Coordinator
>OIE ad hoc Group on NTTAT (Non Tsetse Transmitted Animal Trypanosomoses)
>World Organisation for Animal Health
><oie at oie.int>
><louistier at aol.com>
>
>[An interesting comment to add to the diagnostic considerations. ProMED
>still looks forward to receiving more data regarding these 2 patients. -
>Mod.EP]
>
>[As Dr. Louis Touratier mentioned, there was a report of a case of human
>trypanosomiasis reported from Sri Lanka in 1999 (see ProMED-mail 1999 refs
>below which contain interesting discussions).  At the time of report it was
>mentioned that a _T. evansi_ like organism was identified but there was no
>definitive conclusion as to the final identification of the organism.  In
>that incident, the case was a cattle herder with significant exposure to
>cattle, somewhat "explaining" the possible risk exposures.  Perhaps sources
>in India might have more information on possible sources of contact for the
>2 reported cases (Maharashtra and Kolkata), and sources in Sri Lanka might
>have final information on the 1999 case. - Mod.MPP]
>
>[Human sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) in Africa is transmitted by
>tsetse flies (_Glossina_ species) and they certainly do not occur in India.
>Apart from two localities in the Arabian peninsular these flies are
>restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. Other biting flies such as stable flies
>(_Stomoxys_ species) and tabanids have been considered of possibly
>transmitting human trypanosomes in Africa by purely mechanical means, that
>is through their contaminated mouthparts.
>
>Species of _Trypanosoma_, such as _Trypanosoma evansi_,   are widely
>distributed in Central and South America and also Asia and infect domestic
>and wild animals causing animal trypanosomiasis.  In the absence of tsetse
>flies other biting flies  such as tabanids and stable flies are the vectors.
>
>But this does not add much in clarifying the recently reported cases of
>trypanosomes in India, because we still do not know what trypanosome
>species is involved,  but together with a previous report (20041216.3323)
>it does help stress that there are many species of trypanosomes, some of
>which occur outside Africa.- Mod MS]
>
>[see also:
>Trypanosomiasis - India (West Bengal) 20050120.0197
>2004
>- ----
>Trypanosomiasis - India (03) 20041216.3323
>Trypanosomiasis - India (02) 20041211.3281
>Trypanosomiasis - India: suspected, RFI 20041208.3259
>1999
>- ----
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka: final dx? 19991211.2150
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka (06] 19990726.1262
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka (05) 19990721.1233
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka (04) 19990719.1221
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka (03) 19990711.1161
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka (02) 19990707.1130
>Trypanosomiasis? - Sri Lanka: RFI 19990707.1125]
>..............ep/pg/ms/mpp
>
>------------------------------