[leish-l] Fwd: Articles found by RefScout 01/06/05 - 22/2005

Wed Jun 1 15:50:57 BRT 2005

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This is RefScout-Newsletter 22/2005 

REQUEST: [ leishmaniasis ]

(11 articles match this request. 2 articles matching other requests removed)

PMID: 15869775

TITLE: Anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia: Presence of Leishmania
killicki outside its original focus of Tataouine.

AUTHORS: N Haouas, N Chargui, E Chaker, M Ben Said, H Babba, S Belhadj, K
Kallel, F Pratlong, J-P Dedet, H Mezhoud, R Azaiez

AFFILIATION: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie (99UR/08-05), FacultÃ© de
Pharmacie, DÃ©partement de Biologie, Clinique B, 1 Rue Avicenne, 5000 Monastir,
Tunisia.

REFERENCE: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2005 Jul 99(7):499-501

The first three documented cases of anthroponotic cutaneous 
leishmaniasis due to Leishmania killicki are reported from locations 
outside the original focus of Tataouine in southeast Tunisia. Three 
strains were isolated from three patients from Gafsa, Sidi Bouzid and 
Seliana indicating an extension of this parasite's range towards the 
centre and the north of Tunisia.

PMID: 15911002

TITLE: Antileishmanial antibody profile in dogs naturally infected with
Leishmania chagasi.

AUTHORS: M A O Almeida, E E V Jesus, M L B Sousa-Atta, L C Alves, M E A Berne,
A
M Atta

AFFILIATION: Escola de Medicina VeterinÃ¡ria, Universidade Federal da Bahia,
Salvador, Brazil.

REFERENCE: Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2005 Jun 106(1-2):151-8

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) presents vigorous Th2 immune response, which
 is mainly characterized in human by augmented expression of Il-4, 
polyclonal B cell activation, intense hypergammaglobulinemia and 
production of antileishmanial IgE antibodies. However, few aspects of 
this type of immune response have been demonstrated in studies of canine
 visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). This work investigated by ELISA and 
western immunoblotting the production of antileishmanial IgE antibodies
 (IgE Ab) in symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs naturally infected by 
Leishmania chagasi, and also compared this IgE immune response with 
those of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies. Three groups of dogs were 
evaluated: 12 VL dogs with positive Leishmania biopsies (GI), 44 dogs 
with a positive leishmanial indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), 
30 of them presenting clinical signs of VL and 14 asymptomatic (GII) and
 21 healthy dogs living in kennels located in leishmaniasis endemic 
areas (GIII), which were seronegative in the IFAT. Eighteen dogs from an
 area free of CVL were used as controls (GIV). Antileishmanial IgE 
antibodies were detected in 4 of 12 VL dogs from group I (33%) and 14 of
 30 symptomatic dogs from group II (47%). While all asymptomatic dogs 
from group II (100%) were seronegative for antileishmanial IgE Ab, 7 of 
21 healthy animals from group III (33%) had these immunoglobulins. A 
strong correlation was verified between antileishmanial IgG and IgG2 
antibody titers in all symptomatic dogs, but only 15 of these 42 animals
 (36%) produced simultaneously IgE, IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies to 
Leishmania. IgE antibodies recognized leishmanial antigens of 12, 36, 61
, 81 and 118 KDD, while a more complex pattern of immunoblotting was 
verified mainly for IgG and IgG2 antibodies from symptomatic animals. 
IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies shared the recognition of L. chagasi 
polypeptides of 118, 81, 61, 36, 18, 14 and 12 KDD, being more intense 
the immune reactions between IgG1 Ab and the leishmanial polypeptides of
 61 and 36 KDD, and also between IgG2 antibodies and the antigens of 26
, 21, 18, 14 and 12 KDD. Our results suggest that the polyclonal 
production of antileishmanial antibodies that includes IgE Ab could 
characterize a Th2 immune response in CVL and can help the laboratory 
diagnosis of this disease.

PMID: 15911851

TITLE: Treating HIV/AIDS and leishmaniasis coinfection in Ethiopia.

AUTHORS: Aranka Anema, Koert Ritmeijer

AFFILIATION: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's
Hospital, Vancouver, BC.

REFERENCE: CMAJ 2005 May 172(11):1434-5

PMID: 15916280

TITLE: History of U.S. military contributions to the study of parasitic
diseases.

AUTHORS: Nancy F Crum, Naomi E Aronson, Edith R Lederman, Janice M Rusnak, John
H Cross

AFFILIATION: Infectious Disease Division, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San
Diego, CA 92134, USA.

REFERENCE: Mil Med 2005 Apr 170(4 Suppl):17-29

U.S. military researchers have made major contributions to the discovery
, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of a number of parasitic diseases
. We review the paramount U.S. military contributions to the 
understanding of leishmaniasis, filariasis, schistosomiasis, 
trypanosomiasis, gastrointestinal parasites, intestinal capillariasis, 
and angiostrongyliasis.

PMID: 15852483

TITLE: Evaluation of antiprotozoal and plasmodial enoyl-ACP reductase
inhibition
potential of turkish medicinal plants.

AUTHORS: D Tasdemir, R Brun, R Perozzo, A A DÃ¶nmez

AFFILIATION: Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
deniz at oci.unizh.ch

REFERENCE: Phytother Res 2005 Feb 19(2):162-6

A total of 58 extracts of different polarity were prepared from various 
organs of 16 species of Turkish plants and screened for their 
antitrypanosomal, antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities. No 
significant activity was observed against Trypanosoma cruzi, whereas 
many extracts showed appreciable trypanocidal potential against T. 
brucei rhodesiense, with the CHCl(3)-soluble portion of Phlomis kurdica 
being the most active (IC(50) 2.7 microg[sol ]mL). Almost all extracts, 
particularly the CHCl(3) phases, exhibited growth inhibition activity 
against Leishmania donovani amastigotes. The CHCl(3)-solubles of Putoria
 calabrica roots (IC(50) 1.9 microg[sol ]mL), Wendlandia ligustroides 
leaves (IC(50) 2.1 microg[sol ]mL) and Rhododendron luteum leaves (IC(50
) 2.3 microg[sol ]mL) displayed the highest leishmanicidal potential. 
The majority of the extracts also possessed antiplasmodial activity 
against the multi-drug resistant K1 Plasmodium falciparum strain. The 
most potent antiplasmodial activity was observed with the CHCl(3) 
extracts of Phlomis kurdica (IC(50) 1.5 microg[sol ]mL), P. leucophracta
 (IC(50) 1.6 microg[sol ]mL), Scrophularia cryptophila (IC(50) 1.8 
microg[sol ]mL), Morina persica (IC(50) 1.9 microg[sol ]mL) and the 
aqueous root extract of Asperula nitida subsp. subcapitellata (IC(50) 1.
6 microg[sol ]mL). Twenty-one extracts with significant antimalarial 
activity (IC(50) < 5 microg[sol ]mL) were also tested for their 
ability to inhibit the purified enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI), a crucial 
enzyme in the fatty acid biosynthesis of P. falciparum. The CHCl(3) 
extract of Rhododendron ungernii leaves (IC(50) 10 microg[sol ]mL) and 
the H(2)O-soluble portion of Rhododendron smirnovii leaves (IC(50) 0.4 
microg[sol ]mL) strongly inhibited the FabI enzyme. The preliminary data
 indicate that some (poly)phenolic compounds are responsible for the 
FabI inhibition potential of these extracts. The presented work reports 
for the first time the antiprotozoal activity of nine different genera 
as well as a target specific antimalarial screening for the 
identification of P. falciparum FabI inhibitors from medicinal plant 
extracts.

PMID: 15913053

TITLE: [Climate change in spain and risk of infectious and parasitic diseases
transmitted by arthropods and rodents]

AUTHORS: Rogelio LÃ³pez-VÃ©lez, Ricardo Molina Moreno

AFFILIATION: Unidad de Medicina Tropical, Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas,
Hospital RamÃ³n y Cajal, Madrid. rlopezvelez.hrc at salud.madrid.org

REFERENCE: Rev Esp Salud Publica 2005 Mar-Apr 79(2):177-90

Due to Spain's being located near Africa, being a stopping-off point for
 migrating birds and individuals and due to its climate conditions, 
nearing those of areas where there are vector-borne diseases, this is a 
country where this type of diseases could taken on greater importance 
due to the climate change. The possible risk would result from the 
geographical spread of already established vectors or due to subtropical
 vectors adapted to surviving in cooler, dried climates being imported 
and taking up residence. Hypothetically, the vector-borne diseases 
subject to be influenced by the climate change in Spain would be those 
transmitted by dipterans, such as dengue fever, West Nile encephalitis, 
Rift Valley fever, malaria and leishmaniasis; tick-transmitted diseases
, such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme
 disease, spotted fever and endemic relapsing fever; and rodent-
transmitted diseases. But the greatest, most viable threat would be the 
Aedes albopictus mosquito, which would be capable of transmitting viral 
diseases such as West Nile encephalitis or dengue fever, taking up 
residence. But, for actual areas of endemia being established, a 
combination of other factors, such as the massive, simultaneous influx 
of animal or human reservoirs and the deterioration of the social 
healthcare conditions and of the Public Health services.

PMID: 15690634

TITLE: [Canine leishmaniosis in Central Europe: retrospective survey and
serological study of imported and travelling dogs]

AUTHORS: Maik Mettler, Felix Grimm, Torsten J Naucke, Christiane Maasjost,
Peter
Deplazes

AFFILIATION: Institut fÃ¼r Parasitologie, UniversitÃ¤t ZÃ¼rich, ZÃ¼rich,
Schweiz.

REFERENCE: Berl Munch Tierarztl Wochenschr 2005 Jan-Feb 118(1-2):37-44

Canine leishmaniosis is a common parasitic disease in Central Europe 
affecting dogs imported or returning from endemic countries around the 
Mediterranean basin. Through an internet discussion forum owners of dogs
 with suspected or proven leishmaniosis living in Central Europe (D, A, 
CH), were questioned about the dog's history. Additionally, serologic 
examinations of the dogs for anti-Leishmania antibodies (ELISA using 
antigen of promastigote stages) were offered to the participants. From 
February to October 2003, 291 dogs imported or returning from Southern 
Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, France, Malta, Portugal and others
) were analysed. Serologically, 111 dogs (38%) were classified positive
; 103 being imported and eight travelling dogs. The majority of 
seropositive dogs originated from Spain (67%). No significant 
correlation could be established between race, sex and age and the 
incidence of the disease. The clinical symptoms in the seropositive dogs
 varied widely and ranged from mild general symptoms to visceral 
manifestations with chronic renal failure. Skin disorders were found in 
78% of the seropositive, symptomatic animals. In the country of origin 
or after import or return, 174 out of 291 dogs (60%) had been tested for
 the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies by different 
immunofluorescence antibody tests (IFAT). Discrepancies between the 
ELISA and the various IFATs used were noted in 55 cases (32%), 
especially in cases of low IFAT titers. Most of the seropositive dogs (
80%) had been treated against leishmaniosis. In 91% of these cases, 
Allopurinol as monotherapy or in combination with Glucantime had been 
used. For diagnostics and therapy, dog owners had spent an average of 1,
100 euros (median 900 euros, maximum 5,800 euros).

PMID: 15905924

TITLE: Evaluation of a pamphlet on visceral leishmaniasis as a tool for
providing disease information to healthcare professionals and laypersons.

AUTHORS: ZÃ©lia Maria Profeta da Luz, VirgÃnia Schall, Ana Rabello

AFFILIATION: Centro de Pesquisas RenÃ© Rachou, FundaÃ§Ã£o Oswaldo Cruz, Belo
Horizonte, Brazil. profeta at cpqrr.fiocruz.br

REFERENCE: Cad Saude Publica 2005 Mar-Apr 21(2):606-21

Although educational materials are frequently produced and used as part 
of control programs in Brazil, little is known about the efficacy of 
this type of information. This study evaluated the potential for 
disseminating information on visceral leishmaniasis using a pamphlet. 
The sample consisted of 551 healthcare workers and 379 laypeople from a 
metropolitan area located in southeast Brazil. Both before and after 
reading the pamphlet, subjects completed a multiple-choice questionnaire
. Overall baseline knowledge of the disease was estimated by the 
proportion of correct answers before reading the pamphlet. Although 
specific knowledge among zoonosis control workers was higher (90.0% on 
average), overall baseline knowledge of the disease varied from 45.0% to
 77.0%. After reading the pamphlet, the levels increased to 71.0% and 96
.0%, respectively. Before reading, the lowest proportion of correct 
answers in all groups related to the disease symptoms. Analysis of 
incorrect answers showed that visceral leishmaniasis is mainly confused 
with leptospirosis. The increased proportion of correct answers after 
reading the pamphlet is evidence of its potential as an educational tool.

PMID: 15591782

TITLE: Hypoxia modulates expression of the 70-kD heat shock protein and reduces
Leishmania infection in macrophages.

AUTHORS: Adriana Degrossoli, Marcelle Carolina Colhone, Wagner Welber
Arrais-Silva, Selma Giorgio

AFFILIATION: Department of Parasitology, Biology Institute, Universidade
Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

REFERENCE: J Biomed Sci 2004 Nov-Dec 11(6):847-54

Hypoxia, a microenvironmental factor present in diseased tissues, has 
been recognized as a specific metabolic stimulus or a signal of cellular
 response. Experimental hypoxia has been reported to induce adaptation 
in macrophages such as differential migration, elevation of 
proinflammatory cytokines and glycolytic enzyme activities, and 
decreased phagocytosis of inert particles. In this study we demonstrate 
that although exposure to hypoxia (5% O2, 5% CO2, and balanced N2) did 
not change macrophage viability, or 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-
diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cleavage and proliferation, it 
significantly reduced expression of the 70-kD heat shock protein (HSP70
), which was restored to prehypoxia levels after reoxygenation. The 
influence of low oxygen tension on macrophage functional activity was 
also studied, i.e. the ability of these cells to maintain or resist 
infection by a microorganism. We demonstrate that macrophages from two 
different sources (a murine cell line and primary cells) exposed to 
hypoxia were efficiently infected with Leishmania amazonensis, but after
 24 h showed a reduction in the percentage of infected cells and of the 
number of intracellular parasites per macrophage, indicating that 
hypoxia induced macrophages to kill the intracellular parasites. These 
results support the notion that hypoxia, a microenvironmental factor, 
can modulate macrophage protein expression and functional activity.

REQUEST: [ leishmania ]

(5 articles match this request. 2 articles matching other requests removed)

PMID: 15917541

TITLE: Effects of Acyl versus Aminoacyl Conjugation on the Properties of
Antimicrobial Peptides.

AUTHORS: Inna S Radzishevsky, Shahar Rotem, Fadia Zaknoon, Leonid Gaidukov,
Arie
Dagan, Amram Mor

AFFILIATION: Laboratory of Antimicrobial Investigation, Department of
Biotechnology & Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology,
Haifa, Israel. amor at tx.technion.ac.il.

REFERENCE: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2005 Jun 49(6):2412-20

To investigate the importance of increased hydrophobicity at the amino 
end of antimicrobial peptides, a dermaseptin derivative was used as a 
template for a systematic acylation study. Through a gradual increase of
 the acyl moiety chain length, hydrophobicity was monitored and further 
modulated by acyl conversion to aminoacyl. The chain lengths of the acyl
 derivatives correlated with a gradual increase in the peptide's global 
hydrophobicity and stabilization of its helical structure. The effect on
 cytolytic properties, however, fluctuated for different cells. Whereas 
acylation gradually enhanced hemolysis of human red blood cells and 
antiprotozoan activity against Leishmania major, bacteria displayed a 
more complex behavior. The gram-positive organism Staphylococcus aureus 
was most sensitive to intermediate acyl chains, while longer acyls 
gradually led to a total loss of activity. All acyl derivatives were 
detrimental to activity against Escherichia coli, namely, but not solely
, because of peptide aggregation. Although aminoacyl derivatives behaved
 essentially similarly to the nonaminated acyls, they displayed reduced 
hydrophobicity, and consequently, the long-chain acyls enhanced activity
 against all microorganisms (e.g., by up to 12-fold for the aminolauryl 
derivative) but were significantly less hemolytic than their acyl 
counterparts. Acylation also enhanced bactericidal kinetics and peptide 
resistance to plasma proteases. The similarities and differences upon 
acylation of MSI-78 and LL37 are presented and discussed. Overall, the 
data suggest an approach that can be used to enhance the potencies of 
acylated short antimicrobial peptides by preventing hydrophobic 
interactions that lead to self-assembly in solution and, thus, to 
inefficacy against cell wall-containing target cells.

PMID: 15653750

TITLE: Single gene effects in mouse models of host: pathogen interactions.

AUTHORS: Anne Fortier, Gundula Min-Oo, John Forbes, Steven Lam-Yuk-Tseung,
Philippe Gros

AFFILIATION: McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Room 907,
Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G-1Y6. philippe.gros at mcgill.ca.

REFERENCE: J Leukoc Biol 2005 Jun 77(6):868-77

Inbred mouse strains have been known for many years to vary in their 
degree of susceptibility to different types of infectious diseases. The 
genetic basis of these interstrain differences is sometimes simple but 
often complex. In a few cases, positional cloning has been used 
successfully to identify single gene effects. The natural resistance-
associated macrophage protein 1 (Nramp1) gene (Slc11a1) codes for a 
metal transporter active at the phagosomal membrane of macrophages, and 
Nramp1 mutations cause susceptibility to Mycobacterium, Salmonella, and 
Leishmania. Furthermore, recent advances in gene transfer technologies 
in transgenic mice have enabled the functional dissection of gene 
effects mapping to complex, repeated parts of the genome, such as the 
Lgn1 locus, causing susceptibility to Legionella pneumophila in 
macrophages. Finally, complex traits such as the genetically determined 
susceptibility to malaria can sometimes be broken down into multiple 
single gene effects. One such example is the case of pyruvate kinase, 
where a loss-of-function mutation was recently shown by our group to be 
protective against blood-stage infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. In 
all three cases reviewed, the characterization of the noted gene effect(
s) has shed considerable light on the pathophysiology of the infection, 
including host response mechanisms.

PMID: 15851441

TITLE: Old world cutaneous leishmaniasis infection in children: a case series.

AUTHORS: J Jones, J Bowling, J Watson, F Vega-Lopez, J White, E Higgins

AFFILIATION: Department of Dermatology, The Middlesex Hospital and Hospital for
Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals, NHS Trust, London, UK.
docjenj at aol.com

REFERENCE: Arch Dis Child 2005 May 90(5):530-1

REQUEST: [ sand fly ]

(0 articles match this request)

REQUEST: [ sandfly ]

(1 article matches this request)

********************************************************************************************************************

 The following references are revised files and are brought to you in
accordance
to license agreement with the NLM.

********************************************************************************************************************

PMID: 8551631

TITLE: Inhibition of bunyaviruses, phleboviruses, and hantaviruses by human MxA
protein.

AUTHORS: M Frese, G Kochs, H Feldmann, C Hertkorn, O Haller

AFFILIATION: Abteilung Virologie, UniversitÃ¤t Freiburg, Germany.

REFERENCE: J Virol 1996 Feb 70(2):915-23

Viruses of the Bunyaviridae family cause a variety of diseases ranging 
from uncomplicated fever to potentially lethal encephalitis and 
hemorrhagic fever. Little is known about the factors determining 
pathogenicity in the vertebrate host. Interferons have been reported to 
be inhibitory, but their mode of action against members of the 
Bunyaviridae has not yet been elucidated. The interferon-induced MxA 
protein encoded on human chromosome 21 is a large GTPase with antiviral 
activity against distinct negative-strand RNA viruses, notably influenza
 viruses. Here we show that MxA inhibits representative members of the 
Bunyaviridae family by interacting with an early step of virus 
replication. When constitutively expressed in stably transfected Vero 
cells, MxA prevented the accumulation of viral transcripts and proteins 
of Hantaan virus (genus Hantavirus). Other members of the family such as
 La Crosse virus (genus Bunyavirus) and Rift Valley fever virus and 
sandfly fever virus (both genus Phlebovirus) were likewise inhibited, 
and virus titers were reduced up to 10(4)-fold. Our data indicate that 
humans have evolved a mechanism of controlling these viruses 
irrespective of differences in viral coding strategies.

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