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Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 09:59:26 -0400 (EDT) <br>
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu> <br>
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis - Colombia (background)<br>
LEISHMANIASIS - COLOMBIA (BACKGROUND) <br>
************************************* <br>
A ProMED-mail post <br>
<<a href="http://www.promedmail.org/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://www.promedmail.org</a></u></font>>
<br>
ProMED-mail, a program of the <br>
International Society for Infectious Diseases <br>
<<a href="http://www.isid.org/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://www.isid.org</a></u></font>><br>
[see also: <br>
Leishmaniasis - Colombia 20010526.1028 <br>
2000 <br>
- ---- <br>
Leishmaniasis? - Nicaragua 20000628.1068 <br>
Leishmaniasis? - Nicaragua (02) 20000705.1116 <br>
1999 <br>
- ---- <br>
Leishmaniasis, visceral, fatal - Brazil (Sao Paulo) 19990616.1023 <br>
Leishmaniasis, visceral, fatal - Brazil (Sao Paulo... 19990722.1235
<br>
Leishmaniasis - Nicaragua (west) 19990821.1453 <br>
Leishmaniasis - Nicaragua (west) (02) 19990824.1481 <br>
Leishmaniasis - Nicaragua (west) (03) 19990825.1486 <br>
Leishmaniasis - Nicaragua (west) (04) 19990827.1499 <br>
1998 <br>
- ---- <br>
Leishmaniasis, visceral, dogs - Brazil (Sao Paulo) 19981110.2175 <br>
Leishmaniasis - Brazil: Background 19981114.2203 <br>
1997 <br>
- ---- <br>
Leishmaniasis, cutaneous - Peru 19971119.2328]<br>
[1] <br>
Date: 29 May 2001 <br>
From: Stephen Berger <mberger@post.tau.ac.il> <br>
Source: GIDEON database [edited] <br>
<<a href="http://www.cyinfo.com/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://www.cyinfo.com</a></u></font>><br>
<br>
Background on leishmaniasis in Colombia <br>
- --------------------------------------- <br>
Visceral leishmaniasis: <br>
- - The first Colombian case of visceral leishmaniasis was reported in
1944 <br>
and about 100 cases were reported before 1980. <br>
- - The disease is currently commonest in the Magdalena Basin
(Departments of <br>
Huila, Tolima, and Cundinamarca. Other risk areas include the savannahs
of <br>
Bolivar, Sucre, and Cordoba; and areas of La Guaijara and Santander.
<br>
- - about 23 per cent of opossums (_Didelphis marsupialis_) in the
tropical <br>
rain forest are infested by _Leishmania chagasi_. <br>
- - The local vectors are _Lutzomyia longipalpis_ and _Lu. evansi_ (in
the <br>
northern region; and the Caribbean coast including urban areas).<br>
Cutaneous leishmaniasis: <br>
- - Cutaneous leishmaniasis is found in 91 per cent of all territory
below <br>
1750 m elevation. The disease prevalence is 5 per cent in some areas.
<br>
- - 9369 cases were reported from 1981 to 1986; 55 888 from 1985 to 1996.
<br>
- - _Leishmania amazonensis_ predominates in this form of disease, but
<br>
accounts for only [about 2 per cent] of all _Leishmania_ species isolated
<br>
in the country. _L. guyanensis_, _L. panamensis_, and _L. colombiensis_
are <br>
also encountered. _L. panamensis_ occurs in the western region, _L.
<br>
guyanensis_ in the Orinoco and Amazon river regions, and _L. amazonensis_
<br>
in Meta and Santander departments. <br>
- - _Lutzomyia ovallesi_, _Lu. quasitonsendi_ and _Lu. gomezi_ are
implicated <br>
as vectors in the north west. The local vector for _Leishmania
panamensis_ <br>
is _Lu. (Nyssomyia) trapidoi_.<br>
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis: <br>
- - The disease is common. _Leishmania braziliensis braziliensis_ is the
main <br>
pathogen in the Pacific coast and central lowlands; and _L.b. panamensis_
<br>
in the western and southern regions. <br>
- - The prevalence is estimated at 0.4%. 600 cases were reported from
1981 to <br>
1986. <br>
- - The principal vector in the western region is _Lutzomyia spinicrassa_
<br>
(_L. [Nyssomia] trapidoi_ is also implicated).<br>
<br>
****** <br>
[2] <br>
Date: 29 May 2001 <br>
From: Ellicott McConnell, PhD <eck@intercom.net> [edited]<br>
Leishmaniasis is, of course, transmitted by sand flies (Phlebotomus), not
<br>
mosquitoes; there was probably a problem in translation. <br>
It was remarked [in the previous posting] that the continued armed
conflict <br>
is probably responsible for the "alarming" prevalence of the
disease in <br>
rural areas. Yes, and no. There probably are few, if any, areas where
<br>
active control of sand flies is undertaken at any time. I suspect [that]
<br>
the observed high incidence of the disease results from the presence of
<br>
fighters from both sides of the conflict in rural areas, particularly at
<br>
night, where under normal circumstances they would never spend any time.
<br>
Thus, it is doubtful that the reservoir of infection has changed; there
are <br>
just more people being exposed due to circumstances.<br>
- -- <br>
ProMED-mail <br>
<promed@promed.org><br>
[Thank you very much to Steve Berger for providing background information
<br>
on leishmaniasis in Colombia, and to Ellicott McConnell [and others!] for
<br>
pointing out that sand flies are flies, not mosquitoes. - Mod.EP] <br>
.............ep/pg/sh<br>
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