Visceral leishmaniasis

About: Visceral leishmaniasis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7486 publications have been published within this topic receiving 184865 citations. The topic is also known as: Kala-Azar & viscus leishmaniasis.

Immunosuppression in Kenyan visceral leishmaniasis.

Abstract: Cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated in 15 patients with active visceral leishmaniasis from Masinga location in eastern Kenya where the disease is endemic. Age and sex matched controls were selected from a village school in the same area. In vivo studies were carried out by skin testing with leishmanin, tuberculin, streptococcal and candida antigens. Lymphocyte blastogenic transformation to the mitogens phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) and the antigens purified protein derivative (PPD), streptokinase-streptodornase (SKSD) and leishmanial antigen (LA) was studied in vitro. The results showed that immunosuppression in visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya was both specific and non-specific. In the majority of patients there was complete anergy to all antigens in vivo and in vitro. The suppression of responses to mitogens was less marked. Recovery of non-specific responses preceded the development of specific immunity. In a small number of patients (23%) immune unresponsiveness to leishmanial antigens persisted 1 year after parasitological cure.

Asymptomatic human carriers of Leishmania chagasi.

Abstract: In Brazil, programs based on elimination of infected dogs have not curtailed the spread of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), suggesting that other reservoirs of infection exist. Persons with active VL can infect the sand fly vector, but in endemic areas, persons with asymptomatic infections, whose infectivity to sand flies is unknown, are far more numerous. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction-based assay detected kinetoplast DNA of Leishmania chagasi in the blood of eight of 108 asymptomatic persons living with patients with recently diagnosed VL. These eight persons had low or unmeasurable levels of IgG antibodies to Leishmania, demonstrating the insensitivity of serology for subclinical infection. All eight persons had positive leishmanin skin test results, as did 70% of persons living in households of persons with active VL. Even if a small proportion of such asymptomatic persons are infective to sand flies, they represent a formidable reservoir of infection in endemic areas.

Epidemic Visceral Leishmaniasis in Southern Sudan: Treatment of Severely Debilitated Patients under Wartime Conditions and with Limited Resources

Abstract: Objectives: 1] To determine the proportions of patients with visceral leishmaniasis who had various treatment outcomes when cared for under wartime conditions and with limited resources and 2) to i...

Diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis: biotechnological advances.

Abstract: Human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) is endemic in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, Southern Europe and South and Central America, with approximately 500,000 new cases reported annually. As dogs are considered to be the major reservoirs for HVL, the accurate diagnosis of disease in these animals is important. Diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is performed mainly by direct parasitological methods that can yield false-negative results, either because of the very low number of Leishmania spp. organisms in clinical samples (bone marrow and lymph nodes) or because morphological identification is difficult. In addition, these methods are invasive. Conventional serological techniques are limited by cross-reactivity with other parasitic diseases and because several technical procedures have not been standardised. The development of polymerase chain reaction based approaches and immunoassays based on the use of recombinant antigens aimed at improving the sensitivity and specificity of CVL diagnosis is discussed.