[Leish-l] name

[Carlos Costa]

Hi Jenefer, Caryn, and all,

I was checking the thesis of Prof. Aluísio Prata of 1957, about patients
with *calazar* from Bahia State, in Brazil; look what he saw among 22
patients:

"Cutaneous hyperpigmentation of two types may occur: a) spots on the face (2
cases); uniform darkening of a region, generally the knees (3 cases)."

So, it looks like that darkening of the skin is not specific of Indian
kala-azar, but rather a biological characteristic of a prolonged infection
by visceralizing *Leishmania*.

Is it similar to what it has been seen in India and Nepal?

If so, kala-azar holds as an universal synonym of visceral leishmaniasis.

Carlos.

2010/4/15 Jenefer M. Blackwell <jmb37 at cam.ac.uk>

> Hi all
>
> We might find a sensible answer to that one day - it could have to do with
> whether the parasites are influencing melanosomes - which are related to
> lysosomes - which is where the parasites like to live!
>
> Cheers, Jennie
>
>
> On Apr 15 2010, Christopher Peacock wrote:
>
> Interesting that the Hindi name (Kala = black azar = fever) has been taken
>> up and brazlianised so effectively, when I was in the North East of Brasil
>> researching VL  in 1992-94 don't recall anyone using the term calazar,
>> they
>> generally called it leishmaniose. It is also odd that L chagasi doesn't
>> darken the skin in the same way L. donovani does so the entire meaning has
>> been lost.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>>
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Carlos Costa [mailto:chncosta at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, 7 April
>> 2010 5:44 PM
>> To: Christopher Peacock
>> Cc: Leish-L
>> Subject: Re: [Leish-l] name
>>
>>
>>
>> Interestingly, kala-azar has been adopted plenty in Brazil as "calazar",
>> since the earlier scientific papers. However, it was adopted by authors from
>> the Northeast, which is the main endemic area, like Prata and Alencar.
>> Today, both names are normally use, but one may feel that visceral
>> leishmaniasis could stand as more educated and kala-azar (calazar), as more
>> informal, although, in my view both are interchangeable.
>>
>> Carlos.
>>
>> 2010/4/6 Christopher Peacock <cpeacock at cyllene.uwa.edu.au>
>>
>> Kala-azar is the Indian name for visceral leishmaniasis so used
>> extensively
>> in the Indian sub continent, it literally means black skin in Hindi I
>> believe. Visceral leishmaniasis is the proper generic name for systemic
>> leishmaniasis caused by L. donovani, L. infantum and L. (infantum)
>> chagasi.
>> Leishmaniasis has a vast array of names depending on the type and
>> geographical location, there was a post on the number of names a few years
>> ago.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br
>> [mailto:leish-l-bounces at lineu.icb.usp.br] On Behalf Of Carlos Costa
>> Sent: Wednesday, 24 March 2010 7:02 AM
>>
>> To: Leish-L
>> Subject: [Leish-l] name
>>
>>
>>
>> Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar? Which, when, how?
>>
>>
>> Carlos.
>>
>>
>>
> --
> 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
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Carlos H. N. Costa, MD, DSc.
Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan Portella
Universidade Federal do Piauí
Brazil
Telephone: +55 86 3221-3413

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