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Showing papers on "Visceral leishmaniasis published in 1981"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The impaired response of lymphocytes from untreated AVL patients could not be attributed to either reduced numbers of circulating T cells or the inhibitory effect of monocytes or serum factors, and the responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to Leishmania chagasi antigens and phytohemagglutinin was studied in vitro.
Abstract: Cell-mediated immunity was assessed in 14 Brazilian patients with acute untreated American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) and in 11 healthy patients successfully treated 1 to 14 years previously. The diagnosis of AVL was established by demonstration of leishmania in bone marrow aspirates. The responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to Leishmania chagasi antigens and phytohemagglutinin was studied in vitro. Soluble preparations of L. chagasi antigens were obtained from frozen-thawed promastigote cultures. L. chagasi antigen-stimulated lymphocytes from untreated AVL patients were unresponsiveness and incorporated a mean of 1.2 +/- 0.5 X 10(-3) cpm after a [3H]thymidine pulse. The cured AVL patients had 19.1 +/- 7.2 cpm, and 15 normal control subjects had 0.8 +/- 0.1 cpm. There were no differences in the response of controls and either untreated or cured AVL patients to phytohemagglutinin stimulation. Three of four untreated AVL patients responded to L. chagasi antigens when studied 2 to 4 weeks after therapy. The impaired response of lymphocytes from untreated AVL patients could not be attributed to either reduced numbers of circulating T cells or the inhibitory effect of monocytes or serum factors.

205 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: The results of a survey of canine leishmaniasis in the coastal focus of Monte Argentario (Tuscany, Italy) show that 88.0% of the dogs with signs died of the disease, and 36.0%" of the asymptomatic dogs had apparently recovered.

105 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Allopurinol was used in the treatment of 10 patients with kala-azar and of six patients who had previously failed to respond satisfactorily to Pentostam, "cures" were achieved in four.
Abstract: Allopurinol was used in the treatment of 10 patients with kala-azar. Of six patients who had previously failed to respond satisfactorily to Pentostam, "cures" were achieved in four. However, it was necessary to add Pentostam to the allopurinol in one, and another relapsed after apparent "cure" but again responded to allopurinol. The response of four patients who had had no previous treatment for kala-azar was less satisfactory.

94 citations



Journal Article
TL;DR: The present epidemiological situation of the three nosoforms of leismaniasis in the U.S.R. is exposed and the current lines in inveestigation of their epidemiology are presented, with special reference to the methods used and the results obtained for their control.
Abstract: The present epidemiological situation of the three nosoforms of leismaniasis (i.e. anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, zoonotic cutaneous leishmainiasis and visceral leishmaniasis) in the U.S.S.R. is exposed. The current lines in inveestigation of their epidemiology are then presented, with special reference to the methods used and the results obtained for their control.

32 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of the data suggests an over-all difference between the serological profiles of PKADL and KA patients and reasonably good correlation between the severity of dermal lesions and IgG-ELISA titres was obtained.
Abstract: Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKADL) is sequal to some of the visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) patients. More than 10% of Indian kala-azar (KA) patients develop this nonulcerative skin lesions, containing Leishmania donovani, within one to two years after recovery from visceral infection by the parasite (Brahmachari, 1922). The apparent change in the viscerotropic properties of L. donovani to dermatotropism is believed to be induced by the immunoregulatory mechanisms operating in these treated KA patients (Adler, 1964). Presence of antileishmanial antibodies were demonstrated in the sera of PKADL patients with active dermal lesions (Mukherjee et al., 1968, Haldar et al., 1981). Attention has been focussed on the cell-mediated immune (CMI) response (Haldar et al, 1983) as CMI plays a major role in protection against leishmaniasis (Mauel and Behin, 1982). In the present study, we have attempted to look into both the cellular and humoral immune profiles of 14 Indian PKADL patients, followed up longitudinally before and after the period of treatment. For this, lymphocyte transformation tests have been carried out in vitro in the presence of Leishmania antigen and the results are correlated with those of skin test experiments in vivo. Furthermore, alterations in the serum IgG and IgM class specific antileishmanial antibody titers have been determined by standardized ELISA method. All these results are discussed with respect to our knowledge on the immunology of clinical leishmaniasis.

27 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Sch Schneider's insect culture medium, supplemented by the addition of 30% ( v v ) heat-inactivated foetal bovine serum plus 100 IU penicillin and 100 μm streptomycin (final concentration per ml), is shown to be simple to use in the diagnosis and management of visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya.
Abstract: Schneider's insect culture medium, supplemented by the addition of 30% ( v v ) heat-inactivated foetal bovine serum plus 100 IU penicillin and 100 μm streptomycin (final concentration per ml), is shown to be simple to use in the diagnosis and management of visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya. It is especially valuable because small numbers of parasites can be detected in this culture medium later during the course of treatment.

26 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Cutaneous leishmaniasis has been reported from most humid, lowland regions, and apparently the disease is endemic in nearly all the administrative sections of the country, and seems to occur in around 25% of the cases.
Abstract: A review is made of 60 publications on leishmaniasis in Colombia reported between 1889 and the present. A serious source of difficulty in interpreting the literature is the frequent discussion of "cases" (1,536 of 1,865, or 82%) that were never confirmed by observation of the parasite or by positive immunological tests. The apparent distribution of the disease is considerably biased by the real distribution of physicians. Nevertheless, laboratory-confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis has been reported from most humid, lowland regions, and apparently the disease is endemic in nearly all the administrative sections of the country. Mucocutaneous involvement seems to occur in around 25% of the cases. Visceral leishmaniasis is seldom reported and is known to occur only in the Magdalena River basin. There have been no surveys to identify arthropod vectors or wild reservoir hosts, although two naturally infected dogs were associated with one of the visceral leishmaniasis cases. Leishmaniasis is a seldom diagnosed but major health problem in several regions of Colombia, in terms of the number of persons affected and the difficulty of obtaining treatment.

25 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: The visceral and lethal infection produced in BALB/c mice by Leishmania tropica (major) is accompanied by splenomegaly, anaemia and reversal of albumin-to-globulin ratio.
Abstract: The visceral and lethal infection produced in BALB/c mice by Leishmania tropica (major) is accompanied by splenomegaly, anaemia and reversal of albumin-to-globulin ratio. The percentages of both B and T cells are decreased in the spleen. The spleen and lymph nodes become populated with large Ig-, Thy 1.2- 'null' cells. The similarity of some of these parameters with those produced in human kala-azar is discussed.

25 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The IFAT appears to be the most practical reliable test for the laboratory diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran and may also be useful in the diagnosis of cases of cutaneous leish maniasis with a low level of parasitic infection.
Abstract: The indirect fluorescent antibody technique (IFAT) was used in Iran for the serodiagnosis of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Antibody titres in 100 negative control subjects were ≤ 1/16. In 126 parasitologically proven cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis 71 (56·3%) were serologically positive, with titres of 1/32 to 1/4096.In 23 clinical kala-azar patients the leishmanial antibody titres ranged between 1/256 and 1/32768, and 17 of these showed amastigotes by direct parasitological examination. It was concluded that at the present time the IFAT appears to be the most practical reliable test for the laboratory diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. It may also be useful in the diagnosis of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis with a low level of parasitic infection.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A retrospective evaluation of human leishmaniasis of the whole region suggests that a higher incidence of cases occurred in restricted areas, and the possible significance of the infantile and adult forms of visceral leish maniasis in Tuscany is discussed.
Abstract: Recent investigations on the distribution of human and canine leishmaniasis, and on the vectors and wild reservoirs of the disease in foci in Tuscany have stimulated a retrospective evaluation of human leishmaniasis of the whole region. From a study of the literature, of statistical reports (ISTAT) and of unpublished information, 77 cases of visceral leishmaniasis and 97 of cutaneous leishmaniasis have been analysed. From the case reports of both forms it appears that: (a) a higher incidence of cases occurred in restricted areas; (b) visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis have been hypoendemic in Tuscany since the years of the earlier reports (1933 and 1936, respectively); (c) the number of infantile visceral cases was much higher in the period from 1933 to 1955 (84.5% of subjects in the 0-10 years age group) than in the subsequent years, 1956-75 (50.0%). The possible significance of the infantile and adult forms of visceral leishmaniasis in Tuscany is discussed, and the local data are compared with those of other regions.



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Various species of sandflies were collected from outdoor natural resting sites from three districts in Kenya which are endemic for kala-azar to find out host preferences and leishmania parasites.
Abstract: Various species of sandflies were collected from outdoor natural resting sites from three districts in Kenya which are endemic for kala-azar (Machakos, West Pokot and Baringo). Their blood-meals were analysed to find out host preferences. Female fed-flies were dissected for parasitological investigation. Lizards from these areas were also trapped and blood and internal organs were examined and cultured for isolation of leishmania parasites. Only the lizards obtained from West Pokot and Baringo revealed leishmania parasites in cultures. Bloodmeal analysis showed that Phlebotomus anten-natus, P. bedfordi, P. schwetzi, P. africanus, P. martini, P. affinis and P. rodhaini fed on reptiles. Additionally, promastigotes were seen and isolated from these sandfly species. The disease incidence appears to be less in areas where leishmania parasites were encountered both in lizards and the sandflies in the same locality.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Observations suggest certain difference in macrophage-parasite interaction between in vivo and in vitro conditions, as well as between human and animal infections.
Abstract: An electron microscope study was made to compare the details of ultrastructural morphology of parasite-macrophage interaction in Sudanese human mucosal leishmaniasis and hamster visceral leishmaniasis produced by Leishmania amastigotes obtained from human mucosal lesions.There were some differences between human and animal infections. In parasitized human macrophages there were a few. little or no parasitophorous vacuoles, no membranous cytoplasmic degeneration and no dividing amastigotes but ultrastructural signs of enhanced secretory activity. By contrast, in hamster splenic macrophages many large parasitophorous vacuoles developed around the parasites, occasionally dividing amastigotes were seen and there was marked membranous degeneration of macrophages without signs of enhanced secretory activity.These observations suggest certain difference in macrophage-parasite interaction between in vivo and in vitro conditions, as well as between human and animal infections.



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The demonstration of an individual and synergistic in vivo effect of rifampicin and isoniaZid against Leishmania mexicana amazonensisl and of an in vitro effect of isoniazid/thiacetazone against L. tropica aethiopica2 is interesting.



01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: The authors have carried a work in which they studied the Leishmaniasis of the skin and their cutaneo-mucosal manifestations, marking on the fact that both are caused by the same agent.
Abstract: The authors have carried a work in which they studied the Leishmaniasis of the skin and their cutaneo-mucosal manifestations, marking on the fact that both are caused by the same agent. They considered also that the visceral Leishmaniasis would be occasioned by the same parasite but in this latter case, it can occur only in anergic people. Finally, they made a clinical and pathologic classification of the cutaneous Leishmania and cutaneo-mucosal Leishmania in: 1. A primary period with 3 histologic manifestations very well known. 2. A period of latency which is variable in time of duration; some times is permanently with parasites in quiescent state in the cells of the reticulous endothelial system. 3. A period of reactivation with cutaneo-mucosal lesions, which shows 3 anatomic and clinic periods: erythematous edematous, granulomatous-proliferative and granulose-necrotic with very important destructions in oropharynx.