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Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 03:00:59
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  This is RefScout-Newsletter 34/2006.

  REQUEST: [ leishmania ]
(23 articles match this request)

PMID: 16716519<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16716519>
TITLE: An atypical case of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a young English
Mastiff.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16716519>
AUTHORS: M B Nabity, K Barnhart, K S Logan, R L Santos, A Kessell, C Melmed,
K F Snowden
AFFILIATION: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843, United States.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2006 Sep 140(3-4):356-61
A case of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a young English Mastiff from Texas
is presented. Clinical signs and laboratory findings included subcutaneous
edema, lymphadenopathy, weight loss, and hypoalbuminemia. Cytology of a
lymph node revealed numerous amastigotes. No trypomastigotes were observed
in buffy coat preparation of peripheral blood, and on histologic evaluation,
most organs contained numerous interstitial pseudocysts. Initial serology
was positive for both T. cruzi and *Leishmania*, and immunohistochemistry
supported a diagnosis of *Leishmania*. However, additional serology
supported a T. cruzi infection , and cultivation of organisms isolated from
a lymph node revealed morphology consistent with T. cruzi. In addition, PCR
analysis resulted in a 504bp fragment with 99% homology to a flagellar
protein of T. cruzi . Although uncommon, autochthonous cases of both T.
cruzi and *Leishmania* have been reported in the United States. Clinical
signs observed with both diseases can show many similarities, cytology may
be indistinguishable, as in this case, and serological cross-reactivity is
common. This case demonstrates an unusual presentation of T. cruzi and the
use of multiple testing strategies to support its diagnosis.

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PMID: 16914648<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16914648>
TITLE: {beta}-Mercaptoethanol-modified ELISA for diagnosis of visceral
leishmaniasis.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16914648>
AUTHORS: Elfadil M Abass, Durria Mansour, Mohamed El Mutasim, Muna Hussein,
Abdallah El Harith
AFFILIATION: 1Ahfad University for Women, PO Box 167, Omdurman, Sudan.
REFERENCE: J Med Microbiol 2006 Sep 55(Pt 9):1193-6
Following antigen preparation procedures similar to those of the direct
agglutination test (DAT), an IgG ELISA employing intact beta-
mercaptoethanol (beta-ME)-treated *Leishmania* donovani promastigotes was
developed. The performance of the beta-ME ELISA thus developed was assessed
in patients with confirmed visceral leishmaniasis (VL), revealing slightly
lower sensitivity (39/40=97.5 %) than that of the DAT (40/40=100 %). When
challenged with sera of individuals with non-VL conditions, including
leukaemia and African trypanosomiasis, the specificity of the beta-ME ELISA
was 100 % (158/158), compared to 98.8 % (156/158) for DAT. In an endemic
population (n=145) manifesting a clinical suspicion of VL, results obtained
with the beta-ME ELISA were highly concordant with those of DAT, both in the
seropositive (65/68=95. 6 %) and seronegative (77/80=96.3 %) groups.
Furthermore, the incorporated intact antigen demonstrated higher sensitivity
in ELISA (16 /18=88.9 %) than the water-soluble equivalent (13/18=72.2 %).
The stability of the formaldehyde-fixed antigen (2 months at 4 degrees C) in
beta-ME ELISA, as well as the option for direct testing of whole-blood
samples and visual reading of results (within 2 h, compared to 18 h for
DAT), advocate the simultaneous application of the technique with DAT for
confirmation of VL in laboratories with limited facilities.

PMID: 16780497<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16780497>
TITLE: Comparison between the efficacy of photodynamic therapy and topical
paromomycin in the treatment of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis: a
placebo-controlled, randomized clinical
trial.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16780497>
AUTHORS: A Asilian, M Davami
AFFILIATION: Department of Dermatology, Isfahan University of Medical
Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
REFERENCE: Clin Exp Dermatol 2006 Sep 31(5):634-7
BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is not
known. Topical paromomycin is one of the many drugs that have been suggested
for the treatment of CL caused by *Leishmania* major. Recently, topical
photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been reported to be effective in the
treatment of CL. AIMS: To compare the parasitological and clinical efficacy
of PDT vs. topical paromomycin in patients with Old World CL caused by L.
major in Iran. METHODS: In this trial, 60 patients with the clinical and
parasitological diagnosis of CL were recruited and were randomly divided
into three treatment groups of 20 subjects each. Group 1 was treated with
weekly topical PDT, and groups 2 and 3 received twice -daily topical
paromomycin and placebo, respectively. The duration of treatment was 4 weeks
for all groups. These groups were followed for 2 months after the end of
treatment. RESULTS: In total, 57 patients with 95 lesions completed the
study. At the end of the study, complete improvement was seen in 29 of 31 (
93.5%), 14 of 34 (41.2%) and 4 of 30 lesions (13.3%) in groups 1, 2 and 3,
respectively (P<0.001). At the same time point, 100%, 64.7% and 20% of the
lesions had parasitological cure in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Topical PDT can be used safely as a rapid and highly effective
alternative treatment choice for Old World CL in selected patients.

PMID: 16914726<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16914726>
TITLE: Generation and Characterization of B7-H4/B7S1/B7x-Deficient
Mice.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16914726>
AUTHORS: Woong-Kyung Suh, Seng Wang, Gordon S Duncan, Yoshiyuki Miyazaki,
Elizabeth Cates, Tina Walker, Beata U Gajewska, Elissa Deenick, Wojciech
Dawicki, Hitoshi Okada, Andrew Wakeham, Annick Itie, Tania H Watts, Pamela S
Ohashi, Manel Jordana, Hiroki Yoshida, Tak W Mak
AFFILIATION: Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, 620
University Ave., Suite 706, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2C1.
tmak at uhnres.utoronto.ca.
REFERENCE: Mol Cell Biol 2006 Sep 26(17):6403-11
Members of the B7 family of cosignaling molecules regulate T-cell
proliferation and effector functions by engaging cognate receptors on T
cells. In vitro and in vivo blockade experiments indicated that B7-H4 ( also
known as B7S1 or B7x) inhibits proliferation, cytokine production, and
cytotoxicity of T cells. B7-H4 binds to an unknown receptor(s) that is
expressed on activated T cells. However, whether B7-H4 plays nonredundant
immune regulatory roles in vivo has not been tested. We generated
B7-H4-deficient mice to investigate the roles of B7-H4 during various immune
reactions. Consistent with its inhibitory function in vitro, B7-H4-deficient
mice mounted mildly augmented T-helper 1 (Th1) responses and displayed
slightly lowered parasite burdens upon *Leishmania* major infection compared
to the wild-type mice. However, the lack of B7-H4 did not affect
hypersensitive inflammatory responses in the airway or skin that are induced
by either Th1 or Th2 cells. Likewise , B7-H4-deficient mice developed normal
cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reactions against viral infection. Thus, B7-H4 plays
a negative regulatory role in vivo but the impact of B7-H4 deficiency is
minimal. These results suggest that B7-H4 is one of multiple negative
cosignaling molecules that collectively provide a fine-tuning mechanism for
T-cell-mediated immune responses.

PMID: 16909466<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16909466>
TITLE: Demonstration of a new biosensing concept for immunodiagnostic
applications based on change in surface conductance of antibodies after
biomolecular interactions.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16909466>
AUTHORS: Sandeep Kumar Vashist, Inderpreet Kaur, Ram Prakash Bajpai, Lalit
Mohan Bharadwaj, Rupinder Tewari, Roberto Raiteri
AFFILIATION: Department of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering,
University of Genoa, via Opera Pia 11A, Genoa-16145, Italy;
s.vashist at dibe.unige.it.
REFERENCE: J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2006 Sep 7(9):683-5
We report an important observation that the surface conductivity of antibody
layer immobilized on polylysine-coated glass substrate decreases upon the
formation of complex with their specific antigens. This change in
conductivity has been observed for both monoclonal and polyclonal
antibodies. The conductance of monoclonal mouse IgG immobilized on
polylysine-coated glass substrate changed from 1.02x10(-8 ) ohm(-1) to
1.41x10(-11) ohm(-1) at 10 V when complex is formed due to the specific
biomolecular interactions with rabbit anti-mouse IgG F(ab ')(2). Similar
behavior was observed when the same set up was tested in two clinical
assays: (1) anti-*Leishmania* antigen polyclonal antibodies taken from Kala
Azar positive patient serum interacting with *Leishmania* promastigote
antigen, and (2) anti-p21 polyclonal antibodies interacting with p21
antigen. The proposed concept can represent a new immunodiagnostic technique
and may have wide ranging applications in biosensors and nanobiotechnology
too.

PMID: 16753168<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16753168>
TITLE: A non-universal transcription factor? The *Leishmania* tarentolae
TATA box-binding protein LtTBP associates with a subset of
promoters.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16753168>
AUTHORS: Sean Thomas, Michael C Yu, Nancy R Sturm, David A Campbell
AFFILIATION: Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, 609
Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1489, USA.
REFERENCE: Int J Parasitol 2006 Sep 36(10-11):1217-26
In kinetoplastids a 39-nucleotide spliced leader RNA is trans-spliced to the
5' end of nuclear mRNAs before they can be translated, thus the spliced
leader is central to gene expression in kinetoplastid biology. The spliced
leader RNA genes in *Leishmania* tarentolae contain promoters with important
sites at approximately -60 and -30. A complex forms specifically on the -60
element as shown by electrophoretic mobility shift. The -60 shift complex
has an estimated mass of 159kDa. An L. tarentolae homologue of TATA-binding
protein, LtTBP, co-fractionates with the -60 shift complex. Inclusion of
anti-LtTBP antiserum in the shift assay disrupts the shift, indicating that
LtTBP is a component of the complex that interacts with the TATA-less -60
element of the spliced leader RNA gene promoter. Both LtTBP and LtSNAP(50)
are found near the spliced leader RNA gene promoter and the promoters
important for tRNA( Ala) and/or U2 snRNA gene transcription, as demonstrated
by chromatin immunoprecipitation. The LtTBP appears to interact with a
subset of promoters in kinetoplastids with an affinity for short
transcription units.

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PMID: 16920959<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16920959>
TITLE: Leukotrienes Are Essential for the Control of
*Leishmania*amazonensis Infection and Contribute to Strain Variation
in Susceptibility.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16920959>
AUTHORS: Carlos H Serezani, Joao H Perrela, Momtchilo Russo, Marc
Peters-Golden, Sonia Jancar
AFFILIATION: Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Science IV,
University of SÃ£o Paulo, SÃ£o Paulo, Brazil.
REFERENCE: J Immunol 2006 Sep 177(5):3201-8
Leukotrienes (LTs) are known to be produced by macrophages when challenged
with *Leishmania*, but it is not known whether these lipid mediators play a
role in host defense against this important protozoan parasite. In this
study, we investigated the involvement of LTs in the in vitro and in vivo
response to *Leishmania* amazonensis infection in susceptible (BALB/c) and
resistant (C3H/HePAS) mice. Pharmacologic or genetic deficiency of LTs
resulted in impaired leishmanicidal activity of peritoneal macrophages in
vitro. In contrast, addition of LTB(4) increased leishmanicidal activity and
this effect was dependent on the BLT1 receptor. LTB(4) augmented NO
production in response to L. amazonensis challenge, and studies with a NO
synthesis inhibitor revealed that NO was critical for the enhancement of
macrophage leishmanicidal activity. Interestingly, macrophages from
resistant mice produced higher levels of LTB(4) upon L. amazonensis
challenge than did those from susceptible mice. In vivo infection severity,
as assessed by footpad swelling following s.c. promastigote inoculation, was
increased when endogenous LT synthesis was abrogated either
pharmacologically or genetically. Taken together, these results for the
first time reveal an important role for LTB(4) in the protective response to
L. amazonensis, identify relevant leishmanicidal mechanisms, and suggest
that genetic variation in LTB(4) synthesis might influence resistance and
susceptibility patterns to infection.

PMID: 16920512<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16920512>
TITLE: Nitric oxide synthase and cytokines gene expression analyses in *
Leishmania*-infected RAW 264.7 cells treated with an extract of Pelargonium
sidoides (Eps((R))
7630).<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16920512>
AUTHORS: W Trun, A F Kiderlen, H Kolodziej
AFFILIATION: Institut fÃ¼r Pharmazie, Pharmazeutische Biologie, Freie
UniversitÃ¤t Berlin, KÃ¶nigin-Luise- Str. 2+4, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
REFERENCE: Phytomedicine 2006 Sep 13(8):570-5
A modern aqueous-ethanolic formulation of the roots of Pelargonium sidoides
(Eps((R)) 7630), elaborated from the traditional herbal medicine used in
areas of southern Africa, is effectively employed for the treatment of ENT
and respiratory tract infections in modern phytotherapy. Previous studies
have demonstrated antibacterial and immunomodulatory activities. To gain
insight into the mode of action at the molecular level, gene expression
analyses for the inducible nitric oxide synthase and the cytokines
interleukin (IL)-1, IL-12, IL-18, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha,
interferon (IFN)-alpha, and IFN- gamma, were performed using reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The experiments were
carried out in parallel in non- infected and in *Leishmania* major-infected
RAW 264.7 cells and the expression profiles were compared with those
mediated by IFN-gamma+LPS. Eps((R)) 7630 induced low mRNA levels in
non-infected cells, and it considerably up-regulated the transcript
expressions in parasitised cells. Interestingly, and in contrast to
activation by IFN-gamma+LPS, Eps((R)) 7630 also stimulated infected cells to
produce IFN-gamma mRNA. A similar expression profile was observed for the
methanol-insoluble fraction (MIF) of Eps((R)) 7630 and gallic acid, a trace
constituent of the extract, while the methanol-soluble fraction and
umckalin, an exclusive and representative member of the occurring coumarins,
proved to be devoid of any remarkable gene-inducing capabilities. The
present results provide not only convincing support for the improvement of
immune functions as previously demonstrated in functional bioassays, but
also evidence for activation at the transcriptional level and suggest that
the underlying inducing principle is located in the MIF.

PMID: 16682124<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16682124>
TITLE: Use of PCR-RFLP to identify *Leishmania* species in
naturally-infected
dogs.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16682124>
AUTHORS: HÃ(c)lida Monteiro de Andrade, Alexandre Barbosa Reis, Sara Lopes Dos
Santos, Angela Cristina Volpini, Marcos JosÃ(c) Marques, Alvaro JosÃ(c) Romanha
AFFILIATION: Centro de Pesquisa RenÃ(c) Rachou/FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, MG,
Brazil.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2006 Sep 140(3-4):231-8
Tissue imprints on Giemsa stained slides from dogs were used to investigate
the presence of *Leishmania* amastigotes by either optical microscopy (OM)
or Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of DNA. Samples from skin,
spleen, lymph node, liver and bone marrow from a Leishmaniasis endemic area
dogs where *Leishmania* (*Leishmania*) chagasi and *Leishmania* (Viannia)
braziliensis are sympatric were studied. Dogs were initially diagnosed by
Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF), as which 39 were IIF positive (>/=1:40)
and 16 negative. The IIF positive dogs were clinically grouped as
symptomatic (n=15), oligosymptomatic (n=12) and asymptomatic (n=12).
Although PCR positivity was higher in symptomatic dogs, specially their skin
samples, there was no significant difference among clinical groups or organs
examined. Ten (62.5%) out of 16 IIF and OM negative animals were positive
for PCR in at least one organ. Forty-eight positive PCR amplicons were
further submitted to RFLP for *Leishmania* identification. All dogs were
infected with L. (L.) chagasi except one, infected with L. (V.)
braziliensis. PCR was more efficient than IIF and OM to diagnose canine
visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL ), regardless of the organ examined and the
clinical form present. The use of PCR together with serology helps
determining the extension of sub clinical infection in CVL endemic areas and
provides a better estimate of the number of dogs to be targeted for control
measures. In conclusion , our data reinforce the need for a specific
diagnosis of canine infection in areas where diverse *Leishmania* species
are sympatric and demonstrate that PCR-RFLP can be used to identify *
Leishmania* species in dog tissue imprint stained slides.

PMID: 16918490<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16918490>
TITLE: In Vivo Induced Antigen Technology (IVIAT) and Change Mediated
Antigen Technology
(CMAT).<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16918490>
AUTHORS: Martin Handfield, Jeffrey D Hillman
AFFILIATION: Center for Molecular Microbiology & Department of Oral Biology,
Box 100424 JHMHSC, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32610-0424.
mhandfield at dental.ufl.edu.
REFERENCE: Infect Disord Drug Targets 2006 Aug 6(3):327-34
In this chapter, an overview of in vivo induced antigen technology ( IVIAT)
and change mediated antigen technology (CMAT) will be presented, including a
discussion of the advantages and limitations of these methods. Over fifteen
different microbial pathogens have been or are known to be currently studied
with these methods. Salient data obtained from the application of IVIAT
and/or CMAT to a selection of human and plant pathogens will be summarized.
This includes recent reports on Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A) in
neurological disorders and invasive diseases, Xylella fastidiosa in Pierce's
disease, Xanthomonas campestris in bean blight, Salmonella enterica serovar
typhi in typhoid fever and *Leishmania* spp. related infections. Special
emphasis will be given to those targets that have been further investigated
for the development of novel vaccine, diagnostic and/or antibiotherapy
strategies. This encompasses a new point-of-care serological diagnostic test
for chronic periodontal diseases. Finally, Mycobacterium tuberculosis in
vivo induced products will be described as providing a rational basis for
differentiating subjects with primary, dormant or secondary tuberculosis
infections, from control subjects who have or did not have prior vaccination
with BCG.

PMID: 16913711<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16913711>
TITLE: Binding and Interaction of Dinitroanilines with Apicomplexan and
Kinetoplastid alpha-Tubulin.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16913711>
AUTHORS: Arpita Mitra, David Sept
AFFILIATION: Department of Chemical Engineering, Center for Computational
Biology, and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University,
St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899.
REFERENCE: J Med Chem 2006 Aug 49(17):5226-31
Despite years of use as commercial herbicides, it is still unclear how
dinitroanilines interact with tubulin, how they cause microtubule
disassembly, and why they are selectively active against plant and protozoan
tubulin. In this work, through a series of computational studies, a common
binding site of oryzalin, trifluralin, and GB-II-5 on apicomplexan and
kinetoplastid alpha-tubulin is proposed. Furthermore, to investigate how
dinitroanilines affect tubulin dynamics, molecular dynamics simulations of *
Leishmania* alpha-tubulin with and without a bound dinitroaniline are
performed. The results obtained provide insight into the molecular mechanism
by which these compounds interact with tubulin and function to prevent
microtubule assembly. Finally, to aid in the design of effective parasitic
microtubule inhibitors, several novel dinitroaniline analogues are
evaluated. The location of the binding site and the relative binding
affinities of the dinitroanilines all agree well with experimental data.

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PMID: 16907963<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16907963>
TITLE: Incidences of canine leishmaniasis in an endemic area of southern
Italy.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16907963>
AUTHORS: P Paradies, G Capelli, C Cafarchia, D de Caprariis, M Sasanelli, D
Otranto
AFFILIATION: Department of Animal Health and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.
REFERENCE: J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health 2006 Aug 53(6):295-8
Canine leishmaniasis (CanL), caused by *Leishmania* infantum, is widely
distributed in many Mediterranean countries and is considered endemic in
southern and central Italy with prevalence reaching up to 48.4%.
Determination of the incidence would be useful as a measure of the risk of
infection, then to evaluate the usefulness of control measures and to
estimate whether a new focus is autochthonous or imported. This study was
performed on two sites in the Apulia region of southern Italy, namely sites
A and B. A total of 262 dogs were included in the evaluation of incidence,
94 farm dogs from site A and 168 dogs (92 farm and 76 kennel dogs) from site
B. The incidence of infection was determined by using two different
approaches: in site A by means of incidence density rate (IDR); in site B by
the yearly seroconversion rate. In site A, the IDR was calculated at
4.25%dog-years; in site B the yearly incidence rate was of
9.52% (6.5% and 13.1% in farm and kennel dogs, respectively). The strength
and weakness of the two different approaches (i.e. annual monitoring or
monthly interval monitoring) for calculating the incidence of CanL in an
endemic area have been discussed.

PMID: 16907880<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16907880>
TITLE: Photoinactivation of *Leishmania* donovani infantum in red cell
suspensions by a flexible thiopyrylium
sensitizer.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16907880>
AUTHORS: S J Wagner, A Skripchenko, J Salata, L J Cardo
AFFILIATION: American Red Cross Holland Laboratory for the Biomedical
Sciences, Rockville, MD, USA.
REFERENCE: Vox Sang 2006 Aug 91(2):178-80
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus *
Leishmania*, which are intracellular parasites of monocytes and macrophages.
Transmission of the organism has been observed by transfusion of infected
blood from asymptomatic donors to immunocompromised recipients, leading to
clinically apparent disease. There is no licensed *Leishmania* screening
test currently available. This study investigated the potential for a novel
DNA-intercalating photosensitizer, thiopyrylium (TP), to inactivate *
Leishmania* donovani infantum in red cell (RBC) suspensions. A 5.7 TCID(50)
reduction of *Leishmania* was observed in samples treated with
12.5micromole l(-1) TP and
1.1 J cm(-2) light. *Leishmania* is highly sensitive to photoinactivation
under conditions that have been previously demonstrated to maintain RBC
properties during 42 days of storage.

PMID: 16269185<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16269185>
TITLE: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar)--the Bihar (India)
perspective.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16269185>
AUTHORS: P K Sinha, A Ranjan, V P Singh, V N R Das, K Pandey, N Kumar, N
Verma, C S Lal, D Sur, B Manna, S K Bhattacharya
AFFILIATION: Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences
(ICMR), Agaumkuan, P.O. Gulzarbagh, Patna 800 007, Bihar, India.
REFERENCE: J Infect 2006 Jul 53(1):60-4
>From a hospital-based surveillance carried out in Rajendra Memorial Research
Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India, the socio- economic,
demographic and treatment response information of 737 patients admitted with
visceral leishmaniasis (VL) during January 2001-December 2003, were
analysed. The disease was two times higher in males than in females because
of several factors including clothing pattern, sleeping habits and
occupation. In Bihar, the second poorest state in India, poverty plays a
major role in perpetuation of the disease, contributing to malnutrition,
illiteracy (60%), and poor housing (82%). Further, presences of
peri-domestic animal shelters around houses (63%) and vegetations (77%)
facilitate breeding of sand fly vector. Clinical and laboratory
characteristics were similar in the age groups <12 years and >12 years. The
increasing unresponsiveness of VL patients to conventional anti-leishmanial
drugs, e.g. sodium antimony gluconate (SAG ) and pentamidine, has definitely
posed a major therapeutic challenge in combating the disease. Amphotericin
B, though costly, is highly effective. Miltefosine is a highly promising new
oral drug for VL.

PMID: 16912434<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16912434>
TITLE: Transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis: A case report and review of
literature.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16912434>
AUTHORS: A Dey, S Singh
AFFILIATION: Department of Laboratory Medicine, All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 110 029, India. sarman_singh at yahoo.com.
REFERENCE: Indian J Med Microbiol 2006 Jul 24(3):165-70
Leishmaniasis is caused by the infection of haemoparasite *Leishmania* . The
disease is a major public health problem in at least 88 countries, including
India. Various species of *Leishmania* are involved in causing this disease.
In India, *Leishmania* donovani species causes visceral leishmaniasis or
kala-azar. The parasite is mainly transmitted from infected to uninfected
person through the bites of female sandfly. Rarely the parasite can transmit
through placenta from mother to child, through sexual intercourse, as
laboratory acquired and through blood transfusion. This paper reports a
unique case of transfusion-transmitted fatal kala-azar in an Indian infant
who acquired this infection within few days of his birth after receiving
blood from his maternal uncle, who was asymptomatic at the time of blood
donation but died due to severe kala-azar within three months. The baby
started having fever and developed hepatosplenomegaly within one month of
blood transfusion and in spite of repeated anti-leishmanial treatment with
sodium antimony gluconate the child died at the age of 7 months. This paper
details the clinico-pathological findings of this child and also reviews the
literature on this aspect and its impact on transfusion medicine.

PMID: 16918075<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16918075>
TITLE: Antileishmanial activities and mechanisms of action of indole-based
azoles.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16918075>
AUTHORS: Fabrice Pagniez, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Pascal Marchand, Marc Le
Borgne, Guillaume Le Baut, Sylvie Robert-Piessard, Patrice Le Pape
AFFILIATION: Department of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, BioCiT UPRES
EA 1155, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nantes University, 1 rue Gaston Veil, 44035
Nantes cedex 01, France.
REFERENCE: J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2006 Jun 21(3):277-83
Two 3-(alpha-azolylbenzyl)indoles were evaluated against
*Leishmania*amastigotes. Both compounds proved to be very active
against intracellular
and axenic amastigotes. The IC50 values of the imidazole derivative, PM17,
and the triazole analogue, PM19, against L. mexicana axenic amastigotes,
were 4.4 +/- 0.1 and 6.4 +/- 0.1 microM, respectively. Against intracellular
amastigotes, PM17 produced a 66% decrease of leishmanial burden at 1 microM
and PM19 had an IC50 of 1.3 microM. In a Balb/c mice model of L. major
leishmaniasis, administration of PM17 led to a clear-cut parasite burden
reduction: 98.9% in the spleen, 79.0% in the liver and 49.9% in the
popliteal node draining the cutaneous lesion. As anticipated, it was brought
to the fore that PM17 decreases ergosterol biosynthesis leading to membrane
fungal cell alterations. Moreover it was proved that this imidazole
antifungal agent induces a parasite burden-correlated decrease in
interleukine-4 production both in the splenocyte and the popliteal node of
the mouse.

PMID: 16918078<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16918078>
TITLE: Microtubule target for new antileishmanial drugs based on ethyl
3-haloacetamidobenzoates.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16918078>
AUTHORS: Abdala Hiam, David Sebastien, Bekesi George, Fellous Arlette, Jorge
Kalil, Patrice Le Pape
AFFILIATION: Department of Parasitology and Mycologie mÃ(c)dicale, BioCiT
UPRES EA 1155, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nantes University, 1 rue Gaston Veil,
44035 Nantes, France.
REFERENCE: J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2006 Jun 21(3):305-12
A new family of antimicrotubule drugs named (3-haloacetamidobenzoyl) ureas
and ethyl 3-haloacetamidobenzoates were found to be cytotoxic to the *
Leishmania* parasite protozoa. While the benzoylureas were shown to strongly
inhibit in vitro mammalian brain microtubule assembly, the ethyl ester
derivatives were characterized as very poor inhibitors of this process.
Ethyl 3-chloroacetamidobenzoate, MF29, was found to be the most efficient
drug on the promastigote stage of three *Leishmania* species (IC50:
0.3-1.8microM). MF29 maintained its activity against the clinical
relevant
intracellular stage of L. mexicana with IC50 value of 0.33 microM. It was
the only compound that exhibits a high activity on all the
*Leishmania*species tested. This compound appeared to alter parasite
microtubule
organisation as demonstrated by using antibodies directed against
microtubule components and more precisely the class of microtubule decorated
by the MAP2-like protein. It is interesting to notice that this MAP2-like
protein was identified for the first time in a *Leishmania* parasite

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PMID: 16756660<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16756660>
TITLE: Comparative genomics and concerted evolution of beta-tubulin paralogs
in *Leishmania*
spp.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16756660>
AUTHORS: Andrew P Jackson, Sue Vaughan, Keith Gull
AFFILIATION: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford,
South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK. aj4 at sanger.ac.uk
REFERENCE: BMC Genomics 2006 7():137
BACKGROUND: Tubulin isotypes and expression patterns are highly regulated in
diverse organisms. The genome sequence of the protozoan parasite *Leishmania
* major contains three distinct beta-tubulin loci. To investigate the
diversity of beta-tubulin genes, we have compared the published genome
sequence to draft genome sequences of two further species L. infantum and L.
braziliensis. Untranscribed regions and coding sequences for each isoform
were compared within and between species in relation to the known diversity
of beta-tubulin transcripts in *Leishmania* spp. RESULTS: All three
beta-tubulin loci were present in L. infantum and L. braziliensis, showing
conserved synteny with the L. major sequence, hence confirming that these
loci are paralogous. Flanking regions suggested that the chromosome 21 locus
is an amastigote -specific isoform and more closely related (either
structurally or functionally) to the chromosome 33 'array' locus than the
chromosome 8 locus. A phylogenetic network of all isoforms indicated that
paralogs from L. braziliensis and L. mexicana were monophyletic, rather than
clustering by locus. CONCLUSION: L. braziliensis and L. mexicana sequences
appeared more similar to each other than each did to its closest relative in
another species; this indicates that these sequences have evolved
convergently in each species, perhaps through ectopic gene conversion; a
process not yet evident among the more recently derived L . major and L.
infantum isoforms. The distinctive non-coding regions of each beta-tubulin
locus showed that it is the regulatory regions of these loci that have
evolved most during the diversification of these genes in *Leishmania*,
while the coding regions have been conserved and concerted. The various loci
in *Leishmania* satisfy a need for innovative expression of beta-tubulin,
rather than elaboration of its structural role.

PMID: 16843832<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16843832>
TITLE: Microwave-assisted tissue processing for same-day EM-diagnosis of
potential bioterrorism and clinical
samples.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16843832>
AUTHORS: Josef A Schroeder, Hans R Gelderblom, Baerbel Hauroeder, Christel
Schmetz, Jim Milios, Ferdinand Hofstaedter
AFFILIATION: Central EM Laboratory, Pathology Department, University
Hospital Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
josef.schroeder at klinik.uni-regensburg.de
REFERENCE: Micron 2006 37(6):577-90
The purpose of this study was to explore the turnaround times, section and
image quality of a number of more "difficult" specimens destined for rapid
diagnostic electron microscopy (EM) after microwave- assisted processing.
The results were assessed and compared with those of conventionally
processed samples. A variety of infectious agents, some with a potential for
bioterrorism, and liver biopsies serving as an example for routine
histopathology samples were studied. The samples represented virus-producing
cell cultures (such as SARS-coronavirus, West Nile virus, Orthopox virus),
bacteria suspensions (cultures of Escherichia coli and genetically knockout
apathogenic Bacillus anthracis ), suspensions of parasites (malaria
Plasmodium falciparum, *Leishmania* major, Microsporidia cuniculi,
Caenorhabditis elegans), and whole Drosophila melanogaster flies infected
with microsporidia. Fresh liver samples and infected flies were fixed in
Karnovsky-fixative by microwaving (20 min), all other samples were fixed in
buffered glutaraldehyde or Karnovsky-fixative overnight or longer.
Subsequently, all samples were divided to evaluate alternative processing
protocols: one part of the sample was OsO4-postfixed, ethanol-dehydrated,
Epon- infiltrated (overnight) in an automated tissue processor (LYNX,
Leica), and polymerized at 60 degrees C for 48 h; in parallel the other part
was microwave-assisted processed in the bench microwave device (REM,
Milestone), including post-osmication and the resin block polymerization .
The microwave-assisted processing protocol required at minimum 3 h 20 min:
the respective epon resin blocks were uniformly polymerized allowing an easy
sectioning of semi- and ultrathin sections. Sections collected on non-coated
200 mesh grids were stable in the electron beam and showed an excellent
preservation of the ultrastructure and high contrast, thus allowing an easy,
unequivocal and rapid assessment of specimens. Compared with conventional
routine methods, microwave technology facilitates a significant reduction in
sample processing time from days to hours without any loss in
ultrastructural details. Microwave-assisted processing could, therefore, be
a substantial benefit for the routine electron microscopic diagnostic
workload. Due to its speed and robust performance it could be applied
wherever a rapid electron microscopy diagnosis is required, e.g., if
bioterrorism or emerging agents are suspected. Combining microwave
technology with digital image acquisition, the 1-day diagnosis based on
ultrathin section electron microscopy will become possible, with crucial or
interesting findings being consulted or shared worldwide with experts using
modern telemicroscopy tools via Internet.

PMID: 16918063<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16918063>
TITLE: Successful treatment of visceral leishmaniasis with liposomal
amphotericin B.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16918063>
AUTHORS: Heimo Lagler, Ulrich Matt, Christian Sillaber, Stefan Winkler,
Wolfgang Graninger
AFFILIATION: Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Infectious
Diseases and Chemotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
REFERENCE: Acta Biomed Ateneo Parmense 2006 77 Suppl 2():22-5
We report a case of a 26-year-old female from Kenya who suffered from
intermittent fever of unknown origin for one month. The major findings on
admission were pancytopenia associated with considerable splenomegaly . The
diagnosis was established by visualisation of amastigotes in bone marrow
biopsy and by detection of antibodies to *Leishmania* spp. in blood . The
infection was treated intravenously with liposomal amphotericin B for five
days. The patient was afebrile after the first infusion. No relapse was
reported.

PMID: 16913499<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=16913499>
TITLE: [Apoptosis, a protective mechanism for pathogens and their
hosts]<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16913499>
AUTHORS: Katarzyna Donskow-Schmelter, Maria Doligalska
AFFILIATION: ZakÅ‚ad Parazytologii, Instytut Zoologii, WydziaÅ‚ Biologii,
Uniwersytet Warszawski, ul. Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warszawa.
zuzia at biol.uw.edu.pl
REFERENCE: Wiad Parazytol 2005 51(4):271-80
In this review we summarize the great amount of recent information on the
apoptosis in aspects of the host-parasite interaction. Although apoptosis is
a form of programmed cell death which plays a pivotal role in normal tissue
development a plethora of pathogens including parasitic protista and
helminths are able to modulate host apoptosis pathways to their own
advantage. Here in we present and discuss new research data and results
describing the phenomenon as a process have been controlled by gene
expression, biochemical reactions and receptor-ligand interactions at the
cell membrane surface. Section 1 describes apoptosis as ongoing process in
normal tissue development. Section 2 analyzes the role of apoptosis in
outcome of infection and pathogenesis of several disorders evoked by viruses
and bacteria. The cellular mechanisms of cell death during infection with
unicellular parasites such as *Leishmania* sp. and Plasmodium sp. are
described in Section 3. In the next paragraph the potency of parasitic
protista and helmiths for modulation host apoptosis pathways to their own
advantage is discussed. The involvement of apoptosis in immunoregulation of
the host immune function was proposed as a one of possible mechanism in
creation of the host-parasite relationship. The molecular and cellular
mechanisms of parasite-induced immune response via apoptosis pathways are
discussed. We conclude that novel strategies for the management of the host-
parasite relationships need to be explained into the mechanisms by which
parasites induced apoptosis in contribution to the activity of immune system
of the host.

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

PMID: 15516634<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=15516634>
TITLE: Seroepidemiologic study of *Leishmania* infantum infection in
Castilla-Leon, Spain.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15516634>
AUTHORS: JosÃ(c) I Garrote, M Purificacion GutiÃ(c)rrez, RaÃºl LÃ³pez
Izquierdo,
M Ana I DueÃ±as, Pilar Zarzosa, Carmen CaÃ±avate, M El Bali, Ana Almaraz,
Miguel A Bratos, Clara Berbel, Antonio RodrÃguez-Torres, Antonio OrduÃ±a
Domingo
AFFILIATION: Area de MicrobiologÃa, Facultad de Medicina, Avenida Ramon y
Cajal no. 7, 47005 Valladolid, Spain.
REFERENCE: Am J Trop Med Hyg 2004 Oct 71(4):403-6
Leishmaniasis has increased in importance in recent years because infection
with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has emerged as a risk factor for
this disease. However, the actual prevalence of leishmaniasis in the general
population of Spain is unknown. We present a study of the seroprevalence of
infection with *Leishmania* infantum in the general population of
Castilla-Leon, Spain. A random sample of individuals presenting to health
care clinics (4,825 sera) and of HIV-infected patients in the autonomous
community of Castilla-Leon was collected in 1996. The sero-prevalence of
antibodies to L. infantum was determined by an indirect enzyme immunoassay
and found to be 4.9% in the general population. There was a significant
increase in seroprevalence with age (P = 0.001), from 3.96% in those 14-20
years old to 7.2% in those > 70 years old. There were no significant
differences between women and men ( 5.0% versus 4.9%; P = 0.9534).
Seroprevalence was significantly higher in people from rural areas than in
those from cities (6.0% versus 3.4%; P = 0.001). Patients infected with HIV
had a seroprevalence for L. infantum of 64.0%. No differences were observed
between women and men, and prevalence did not increase with age.

PMID: 11796362<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2006-34.xml&id=11796362>
TITLE: Ultrastructural and biochemical alterations induced by
22,26-azasterol, a delta(24(25))-sterol methyltransferase inhibitor, on
promastigote and amastigote forms of *Leishmania*
amazonensis.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11796362>
AUTHORS: Juliany C F Rodrigues, MÃ¡rcia Attias, Carlos Rodriguez, Julio A
Urbina, Wanderley de Souza
AFFILIATION: LaboratÃ³rio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto
de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,
Centro de CiÃªncias da SaÃºde, Bloco G, Ilha do FundÃ£o, 21949-900, Brazil.
REFERENCE: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002 Feb 46(2):487-99
We report on the antiproliferative effects and the ultrastructural and
biochemical alterations induced in vitro by 22,26-azasterol, a sterol
Delta(24(25))-methyltransferase (24-SMT) inhibitor, on
*Leishmania*amazonensis. When promastigotes and amastigotes were
exposed to 100 nM
22,26-azasterol, complete growth arrest and cell lysis ensued after 72 (
promastigotes) or 120 (amastigotes) h. Exposure of parasites to this
azasterol led to the complete depletion of parasite endogenous sterols (
episterol and 5-dehydroepisterol) and their replacement by 24-desalkyl
sterols (zymosterol, cholesta-5,7,24-trien-3beta-ol, and cholesta-7,24-
dien-3beta-ol), while 14-methyl-zymosterol and 4,14-dimethyl-zymosterol
accumulated as a result of simultaneous incubation of the parasites with
22,26-azasterol and ketoconazole, a known inhibitor of the parasite's sterol
C14-demethylase. These results confirmed that 24-SMT is the primary site of
action of the azasterol. Profound changes were also observed in the
phospholipid compositions of treated cells, in which a twofold reduction in
the content of phosphatidylserine was observed; this was accompanied by a
concomitant increase in the content of phosphatidylinositol. Transmission
electron microscopy showed that 22,26 -azasterol induced marked
morphological changes, including mitochondrial swelling, invaginations of
the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the appearance of large bodies
containing concentric membranes. Other modifications included increases in
the numbers of acidocalcisomes, megasomes, and lipid inclusions and the
appearance of typical autophagic structures and cell body protrusions toward
the flagellar pocket. We conclude that the dramatic alteration of the lipid
composition of the parasite's membranes induced by the drug underlies the
ultrastructural alterations that lead to the loss of cell viability and that
24-SMT inhibitors could be useful as selective antileishmanial agents.

REQUEST: [ sand fly NOT culicoides ]
(0 articles match this request)

REQUEST: [ sandfly NOT culicoides ]
(1 article matches this request. 1 article matching other requests removed)

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