[Leish-l] Leishmaniasis - Argentina: epidemic potential

Jenefer M. Blackwell jmb37 at cam.ac.uk
Thu Mar 26 21:45:37 BRT 2009


It seems from all the previous emails that you are wrong!

Steve and Bob seem to have come up with the right answer.

Cheers all, Jennie

On Mar 26 2009, neena goyal wrote:

>
>To all,
>I think the right word is 'sandfly' not sand fly
>Neena
>
>--- On Wed, 25/3/09, Carlos Costa <chncosta at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Carlos Costa <chncosta at gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Leish-l] 
>> Leishmaniasis - Argentina: epidemic potential To: "Chang, Kwang-Poo" 
>> <KwangPoo.Chang at rosalindfranklin.edu> Cc: "fred opperdoes" 
>> <fred.opperdoes at uclouvain.be>, Leish-l at lineu.icb.usp..br Date: 
>> Wednesday, 25 March, 2009, 1:16 AM To: all   By the way, what is the 
>> right English writing: sand fly or sandfly? Is it a matter of 
>> England vs. US?   Carlos H.
>> 
>> 
>> 2009/3/21 Chang, Kwang-Poo <KwangPoo.Chang at rosalindfranklin.edu>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> To:
>> Prof. Laila Nimri and all
>>  
>> The
>> issue appears to be a language translation problem. I was
>> told that all blood sucking flies are referred to as
>> "mosquito" in Spanish.
>> 
>>  
>> KP
>>  
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br
>> [mailto:leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br]
>> On Behalf Of
>> Laila Nimri
>> 
>> Sent:
>> Thursday, February 26, 2009 1:53 AM
>> To: fred
>> opperdoes; Leish-l at lineu.icb.usp.br
>> 
>> Subject: Re:
>> [Leish-l] Leishmaniasis - Argentina: epidemic
>> potential
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Just to
>> correct a very important information about the vector of
>> Visceral leishmaniasis, it is definitely not a mosquito, it
>> is a sand fly of the genus Lutzomyia as mentioned
>> correctly below or a Phlebotomus. The environmental or
>> climatic changes that affect mosquitoes might have affected
>> the sand flies and lead to the emergence of the
>> disease.
>> 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Prof. Laila
>> Nimri
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br
>> [leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br]
>> On Behalf Of fred opperdoes [fred.opperdoes at uclouvain.be]
>> 
>> Sent:
>> Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:21 AM
>> To: Leish-l at lineu.icb.usp.br
>> 
>> Subject:
>> [Leish-l] Leishmaniasis - Argentina: epidemic
>> potential
>> 
>> 
>> Date:
>> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:23:15 -0500
>> (EST)
>> 
>> From: ProMED-mail <promed at promed.isid.harvard.edu>
>> Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis - Argentina:
>> epidemic potential
>> 
>> 
>> LEISHMANIASIS - ARGENTINA: EPIDEMIC POTENTIAL
>> ***********************************************
>> 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: Tue 24 Feb 2009
>> 
>> Source: Datachaco.com [trans. Mod JGM,
>> edited]
>> <http://datachaco.com/noticia.php?numero=17399>
>> 
>> 
>> The occurrence of cases of yellow fever made people
>> pay attention to 
>> 
>> mosquito-borne diseases, and dengue fever, which is
>> currently 
>> attacking with unusual strength in Paraguay, set
>> another alarm in 
>> Chaco, Corrientes, and Misiones provinces, which
>> share borders with 
>> 
>> Paraguay and Bolivia.
>> 
>> However, a new emerging disease has become the main
>> epidemic threat 
>> in Argentina: Visceral leishmaniasis. This little
>> known disease is 
>> 
>> being analyzed now as a cause for a sanitary red
>> alert in Argentina.
>> 
>> Visceral leishmaniasis is also
>> caused by a
>> mosquito-borne
>> parasite. 
>> 
>> There is no vaccine for this disease, and therapy is
>> instituted only 
>> once a case is clearly defined. Its mortality rate is
>> around 8 per 
>> cent, and it has a particular feature: Dogs may act
>> as reservoirs for 
>> 
>> the parasite.
>> 
>> A summary of the life cycle of the parasite indicates
>> that 
>> _Lutzomyia_
>> insects
>> infect
>> dogs. These animals develop the
>> disease 
>> 
>> and transmit the parasite to another insect vector,
>> which now is 
>> capable of transmitting visceral leishmaniasis to
>> humans. There is no 
>> human-to-human transmission.
>> 
>> Since the very 1st case was reported in 2006, 36
>> persons have been 
>> 
>> affected, and there are 4 deceased patients. The
>> possibility of a 
>> rapid increase in the number of cases is a reason for
>> concern.
>> 
>> Last week 2 cases of visceral leishmaniasis were
>> reported in Posadas. 
>> 
>> One is an 18-year-old woman, and the other is a
>> 21-year-old man, who 
>> separately developed the symptoms of the disease.
>> Some personnel from 
>> the army are currently collaborating with municipal
>> authorities in 
>> 
>> Posadas for cleaning wastelands, which
>> are considered breeding places 
>> for insect vectors.
>> 
>> This health problem has become quite dangerous and
>> important in the 
>> 
>> main cities in Misiones province, and specialists
>> warn that the 
>> disease may reach other provinces in the short
>> term.
>> 
>> "We are observing that the vector is spreading
>> fast, and 2 corridors 
>> 
>> have been established, one directing towards
>> Resistencia and the 
>> other one towards Corrientes. Also, the northern area
>> of Entre Rios, 
>> as well as Santa Fe, and Cordoba are vulnerable
>> places. The mosquito 
>> 
>> vector for visceral
>> leishmaniasis has become an
>> urban-living insect, 
>> 
>> so there is a substantial risk for its presence in
>> big urban 
>> centers," explained Dr. Daniel Salomon, from the
>> National Center for 
>> Epidemics in Argentina's Ministry of
>> Health.
>> 
>> 
>> "It is quite difficult to implement preventive
>> measures, because 
>> people are so in love with their pets,"
>> commented Dr. Salomon. There 
>> are very few options for controlling the spread of
>> the disease apart 
>> 
>> from sacrificing sick animals.
>> 
>> In 2004, the 1st dog infected with the causative
>> agent of visceral 
>> leishmaniasis was detected. When 40 cases were
>> reported in Misiones 
>> province, the Ministry of Health issued a red alert.
>> Nonetheless, the 
>> 
>> current situation is much worse. In Posadas, it was
>> determined that 
>> 7000 dogs actually have the parasite. Additionally,
>> there are 300 
>> infected dogs in Corrientes, and it is worth
>> mentioning that in its 
>> 
>> capital city, there are thousands of homeless dogs
>> considered to be 
>> infected with the parasite.
>> 
>> The analysis of the experience from Brazil and
>> Paraguay indicates 
>> that there is a probability of having one person
>> infected for every 
>> 
>> 60 infected dogs. There is a high risk for an
>> epidemic.
>> 
>> Sanitary authorities recommend that pets must not be
>> carried to the 
>> areas considered to be at risk. It is also advisable
>> not to transport 
>> 
>> dogs from the affected regions to other areas in the
>> country. The 
>> idea is to cut the transmission cycle of the
>> parasite. Those persons 
>> who may visit the northern part of Argentina must be
>> immunized 
>> 
>> against yellow fever as an ordinary preventive
>> measure, and they must 
>> leave their pets at home as an additional preventive
>> measure.
>> 
>> "Visceral leishmaniasis was present in the
>> northern part of South 
>> 
>> America until migrating workers started moving it towards
>> the south. 
>> In early 2000, there were some important outbreaks in
>> Campo Grande do 
>> Sul and in Asuncion, where the average number of
>> persons infected is 
>> 
>> around 70 per year. In Brazil there are around 4000
>> cases and 200 
>> deaths per year," pointed out Dr. Salomon, who
>> had been doing some 
>> field work during the past few weeks in the Litoral
>> provinces.
>> 
>> 
>> He also added: "There is a trend for an increase
>> in visceral 
>> leishmaniasis, so the disease may spread, and it is
>> expected to have 
>> more cases."
>> 
>> Climate changes and deforesting seem to be the main
>> explanations for 
>> 
>> the migration of
>> mosquito-borne
>> diseases. However, trying
>> to justify 
>> 
>> the occurrence of emergent diseases only because of
>> reasons inherent 
>> to nature itself may exonerate provincial and
>> municipal authorities 
>> for not complying with their obligations with respect
>> to the 
>> 
>> implementation of disease control programs and
>> cleaning empty lots.
>> 
>> Consequently, now there are many public accusations
>> between Misiones, 
>> Corrientes, and Chaco health officers.
>> These persons, now that there 
>> 
>> are cases of visceral leishmaniasis, immediately try
>> to explain that 
>> transmission may have taken place outside their
>> respective 
>> jurisdictions. The clear point is that the
>> mosquito
>> vector
>> appears 
>> 
>> because of lack of public hygiene.
>> 
>> - --
>> Communicated by:
>> ProMED-mail <promed at promedmail.org>
>> 
>> 
>> [Leishmaniasis has been slowly spreading in northern
>> Argentina over 
>> the past decades (Salomon O et al. First visceral
>> leishmaniasis focus 
>> in Argentina. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz.
>> 2008;103:109-11
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18368242?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum>).
>> 
>> 
>> The ecology of the vector has been changing, and
>> increasing 
>> urbanization has been suggested as one of the
>> explanations (Salomon 
>> OD et
>> al. Phlebotominae (Diptera:
>> Psycodidae) fauna in the Chaco 
>> 
>> region and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis transmission patterns in  Argentina. 
>> Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2008;103:578-84 
>> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18949328?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum>).
>> 
>>  -
>> Mod.EP]
>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> Dr. Carlos Henrique Nery Costa.
>> 
>> Coordenador Executivo - Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia
>> Diretor Geral - Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan
>> Portella
>> Universidade Federal do Piauí
>> Rua Artur de Vasconcelos 151-Sul
>> 64.001-450 Teresina-PI 
>> Brasil
>> 
>> Telefones: IDTNP:+55 86 3221-3413; 
>> Celular: +55 86 9985-6132; Fax: +55 86 3222-3248
>> 
>> 
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-- 
Professor Jenefer M. Blackwell
Honorary Senior Scientist and Affiliated PI
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Wellcome Trust/MRC Building
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road 
Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
Email:  jmb37 at cam.ac.uk

Contact details in Australia:
Professor Jenefer M. Blackwell
Head, Division of Genetics and Health
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
100 Roberts Road, Subiaco 
Western Australia, 6008      
(GPO Box 855, West Perth, WA 6872)
Tel +61 (08) 9489 7910
Fax +61 (08) 9489 7700
Email jblackwell at ichr.uwa.edu.au






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