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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002>Dear Leishmaniacs,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=040385813-10052002><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
size=2><SPAN class=040385813-10052002>This year, Medecins Sans Frontieres -
Holland treated its 50,000th kala azar patient in the East African region.
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=040385813-10052002><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=040385813-10052002><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
size=2><SPAN class=040385813-10052002>We are trying to improve the accuracy of
the </SPAN>rK39<SPAN class=040385813-10052002> dipstick, for the rapid
diagnosis of KA in Sudan/Ethiopia. We a</SPAN>re actively engaged on
this, <SPAN class=040385813-10052002> and have excellent links with
industrial R&D partners</SPAN>. Our objective<SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> is </SPAN>to produce a strip which works on
whole blood, <SPAN class=040385813-10052002> probably
2 </SPAN>strips which are used for screening and confirmation.<SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002>We find </SPAN>that rK39 works less <SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> well </SPAN>in Sudan than
reported elsewhere <SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> (</SPAN>Zijlstra Trop Med Int Health. 2001
Feb;6(2):108-13; Veeken Trop Med Int Health in press 2002). We<SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> may need to </SPAN><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> alter </SPAN>the reagents on the strip
or <SPAN class=040385813-10052002> use a </SPAN>combination of
rK39 and <SPAN class=040385813-10052002> other recombinant
antigens.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002>Q1: Does anyone know if rK39 is an
</SPAN>immunodominant peptide on the strain<SPAN
class=040385813-10052002>s </SPAN> of the Sudanese-epidemic <EM>L
donovani</EM> zymodemes MON 18, MON 30 and MON 82 (which are <SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> said to be </SPAN>closely related)<SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> ?</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002> Q2: Could anyone donate to our R&D
efforts <SPAN class=040385813-10052002>some sera from patients with proven kala
azar in Sudan (north or South) or northeast Ethiopia (Humera focus)? Volumes of
a few mL from a small number of well-characterised patients are what we
seek.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002><SPAN class=040385813-10052002>Best
wishes,</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002><SPAN class=040385813-10052002>Rob Davidson (technical
kala azar adviser, MSF-Holland)</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002><SPAN
class=040385813-10052002></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </P></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>