Publications

correlates of the peridomestic abundance of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) in amazonian brazil.	abundance of the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis, the vector of leishmania chagasi, was surveyed using cdc light-suction traps in fifteen villages and 180 homesteads on marajó island, pará state, brazil. flies were most abundant in cultivated areas, secondary growth and open woodland, away from savanna grassland and forest. within homesteads, the abundance of flies in animal sheds was weakly associated with the number of hosts kept therein, and inversely related to the number elsewhere, both human ...	1994	7949312
development of leishmania chagasi (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) in the second blood-meal of its vector lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae).	light and electron microscopy investigations were carried out to compare the development of leishmania chagasi in lutzomyia longipalpis females that took a second blood-meal and others that took a single blood-meal. the establishment of the parasite in the foregut and the thoracic midgut of the vector was not severely affected by the intake of the second blood-meal. at 3 days after the intake of the second blood-meal, a rapid increase in the proportion of metacyclic promastigotes detected in the ...	1994	7971928
recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor reverses neutropenia and reduces secondary infections in visceral leishmaniasis.	twenty-four patients with acute visceral leishmaniasis and leukopenia (< 1500 neutrophils/mm3) due to leishmania chagasi were studied, 4 in an open-label pilot study and 20 in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. patients received granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (gm-csf), 5 micrograms/kg daily, or placebo for 10 days, plus 10-20 mg/kg pentavalent antimony daily for 20 days. in gm-csf recipients, neutrophil counts increased threefold and fourfold over baseline at 5 and 10 da ...	1994	8035028
a recombinant leishmania chagasi antigen that stimulates cellular immune responses in infected mice.	cellular immune mechanisms resulting in gamma interferon production are critical for protection against visceral leishmaniasis. antigens stimulating t-cell responses are likely present in the intracellular amastigote form of the parasite, since this is the form found in a mammalian host. to identify t-cell antigens of leishmania chagasi, the parasite causing south american visceral leishmaniasis, we used a double antibody-t-cell technique to screen an amastigote cdna library. one cdna selected ( ...	1995	7729921
age structure, blood-feeding behavior, and leishmania chagasi infection in lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) at an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in colombia.	ecological studies on the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) were conducted during 1990-1992 in a small rural community in colombia where american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) is endemic. subsamples of sand flies collected weekly from pigpens, the interior of houses, and natural outdoor resting sites were dissected to determine physiological age and leishmania chagasi cunha & chagas infection rates. eleven female l. longipalpis had flagellates in their gut, 2 of which were successfull ...	1995	7473616
short report: extended follow-up of the natural history of persons infected with leishmania chagasi.	a five-year follow-up of the natural history of 924 children exposed to or infected with leishmania chagasi was conducted in a rural area of northeast brazil. seventy-eight percent of the children sought were located. there was no evidence of smoldering disease or long subclinical latency in this population. the overall prevalence of clinical visceral leishmaniasis in this population was 6.1%, with a mortality rate of 10%.	1995	7485687
comparison of new and old world leishmanins in an endemic region of brazil.	the control of leishmaniasis depends on a knowledge of the magnitude of the disease and of exposure to it. delayed-type hypersensitivity testing can detect prior exposure to the parasite, but there is little agreement regarding the choice of an antigen for such testing. new and old world leishmanins were tested in a study of patients with confirmed prior cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl), patients with confirmed prior american visceral leishmaniasis (avl), and controls from areas in espírito santo, b ...	1995	7620013
molecular cloning, characterization, and expression in escherichia coli of iron superoxide dismutase cdna from leishmania donovani chagasi.		1995	7642321
intergenic regions between tandem gp63 genes influence the differential expression of gp63 rnas in leishmania chagasi promastigotes.	the major surface protease, gp63, of leishmania chagasi is encoded by 18 or more tandem msp genes that can be grouped into three classes on the basis of their unique 3'-untranslated sequences (3'-utrs) and their differential expression. rnas from the mspls occur predominantly during the logarithmic phase of promastigote growth in vitro, rnas from the mspss are present mainly in stationary phase, and rnas from mspcs occur throughout growth in culture. all three classes of gp63 genes are constitut ...	1995	7744862
identification of leishmania chagasi antigens recognized by human lymphocytes.	preparative sds-page followed by electroelution was used to separate proteins of leishmania chagasi promastigotes into 67 fractions. these fractions were tested for the ability to stimulate proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy immune donors who were treated previously for visceral leishmaniasis and from nonimmune controls. the proliferative responses elicited by these proteins varied among individuals. the 69-kda protein fraction contained a fragment with sequence sim ...	1995	7561180
molecular techniques in the characterization of leishmania isolates from central america.	the public-health problems caused by leishmaniasis in most countries in central america are becoming more severe. this is partly because of the increasing size of the human populations that are at risk and their migratory patterns. annual incidence of the disease in costa rica, honduras, guatemala, panama and nicaragua is estimated to be as high as 20,000 cases. regional changes in the epidemiology of the various leishmania spp. present have emphasized the need for innovative, sensitive and accu ...	1995	8745925
developmentally regulated expression of a novel 59-kda product of the major surface protease (msp or gp63) gene family of leishmania chagasi.	all species of leishmania express a major surface protease (msp or gp63) that facilitates the interactions of the parasite with its environment at several steps in its life cycle. the msp gene family in leishmania chagasi contains three classes of genes whose mrnas are differentially expressed during parasite growth. logarithmic phase (low infectivity) promastigotes express only 63-kda versions of msp, whereas stationary phase (high infectivity) promastigotes express both 63- and 59-kda msps. th ...	1995	7721796
familial aggregation of leishmania chagasi infection in northeastern brazil.	a sample of 1,604 individuals belonging to 243 nuclear families from an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis (jacobina, bahia state, brazil) was studied to disclose the intrafamilial pattern of infection. significant father to offspring, mother to offspring, and sibling to sibling associations, in contrast a with nonsignificant father to mother association, clearly indicate a familial aggregation of the infection, with a strong suggestion of at least partial genetic involvement.	1995	7741179
comparison of the sex-pheromone components of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera:psychodidae) from areas of visceral and atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis in honduras and cost rica.	the terpene components of extracts prepared from male lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) collected from four sites in honduras and one in costa rica were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and coupled gas chromatography--mass spectrometry. the terpene components of lu. longipalpis from other regions of south america have previously been shown to be sex pheromones. the flies from the four areas of honduras, where leishmania chagasi infection may lead ...	1996	8915130
in vitro activity of atovaquone against leishmania chagasi promastigotes.		1996	8849233
5' sequences essential for trans-splicing of msp (gp63) rnas in leishmania chagasi.	the 5' sequences essential for spliced leader (sl) addition to rna encoding the abundant leishmania surface protease gp63 were determined. a dna segment found upstream of all leishmania chagasi gp63 genes was cloned in front of a luciferase gene, and luciferase activity was measured in transiently transfected l. chagasi promastigotes. two hundred and twenty bp of the upstream region was needed for optimal luciferase activity. deletions and point mutations were placed in this segment to determine ...	1996	8784773
hepatic granulomas in murine visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania chagasi	protozoa belonging to the genus leishmania cause the diverse forms of human leishmaniasis, which range from self-healing cutaneous ulcers to widely disseminated or disfiguring disease. human and murine immune responses to species causing cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis are considerably different. in murine models of cutaneous leishmaniasis the expansion of distinct cd4(+) t-cell subsets is associated with either disease prevention (th1) or disease exacerbation (th2). however, studies of mur ...	1996	8812678
short report: regulation of inducible heat shock protein 70 genes in leishmania chagasi.	eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells undergo an increase in heat shock proteins, including hsp70, during exposure to environmental stress and during some developmental changes. in trypanosomatid protozoa such as leishmania sp. that cycle between poikilothermic vectors and mammalian hosts, this heat shock response occurs at programmed times in the parasite's life cycle. the increase in heat shock proteins in mammalian cells is initiated by an increased rate of transcription, resulting in greater amou ...	1996	8644900
interleukin-12 restores interferon-gamma production and cytotoxic responses in visceral leishmaniasis.	american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) is associated with the absence of lymphocyte proliferative responses and interleukin (il)-2 and interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) production upon stimulation with leishmania antigen. in contrast, cure of avl is associated with restoration of these t cell functions. in the present study, the ability of il-12, a cytokine that acts on nk and t cells to restore cellular immune responses in avl, was evaluated. participants of the study included 12 patients with avl an ...	1996	8648233
the role of complement in the acute inflammatory process in the skin and in host-parasite interaction in hamsters inoculated with leishmania (leishmania) chagasi.	tecidual reaction at the inoculation site of l. (l.)chagasi promastigotes in hamsters depleted and non-depleted of complement was studied within 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours of infection. the inflammatory reaction was characterized by early predominance of polymorphonuclear cells (pmn) at 2, 6 and 12 hours of infection, mixed infiltrate of pmn and mononuclear cells (mn) at 24 hours, followed by predominance of mn at 48 and 72 hours after infection. the group depleted of complement showed a high ...	1996	8664142
the promoter for the ribosomal rna genes of leishmania chagasi.	a promoter for the rrna genes of leishmania chagasi was found to be located about 1 kb upstream of the 18s rrna coding region and immediately downstream of 64 bp tandem repeats. its approximate boundaries and corresponding transcription start site were determined by transient transfections and primer extension assays. this promoter for rna polymerase i has differing activities when transfected into various leishmania species and no activity in trypanosoma cruzi. its sequence has no obvious simil ...	1996	8813665
effect of mitonafide analogs on topoisomerase ii of leishmania chagasi.	mitonafide (4-nitro-benzoisoquinolinedione) and a number of structural analogs were synthesized and studied in order to determine the structural requirements for inhibition of leishmanial nuclear and kinetoplast topoisomerase ii and human topoisomerase ii. the structure-activity relationship studies with the mitonafide analogs demonstrated that there was selective targeting of leishmanial nuclear topoisomerase ii and human topoisomerase ii and differential targeting of kinetoplast over nuclear t ...	1996	8851597
local suppression of ifn-gamma in hepatic granulomas correlates with tissue-specific replication of leishmania chagasi.	balb/c mice are susceptible to infection with the visceralizing species of leishmania, leishmania chagasi. the parasite load initially rises in the liver and spontaneously subsides, whereas parasite multiplication begins later and remains lower in the spleen. to investigate whether this organ-specific multiplication of l. chagasi correlates with localized immune responses, we compared cytokine production by splenic vs hepatic immune cells. livers from infected mice contained granulomas harboring ...	1996	8690913
a cross-sectional serodiagnostic survey of canine leishmaniasis due to leishmania chagasi.	jequie, a community of about 144,500 inhabitants located in the state of bahia, brazil, is endemic for both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases. in the present epidemiologic study, the urban and inhabited periurban areas of the town were divided into 140 clusters of 0.25 km2 each. the seroprevalence of canine leishmania antibodies was investigated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a screening test since its sensitivity was significantly higher than that of an indirect immunofluoresc ...	1996	8702020
developmental changes in the expression of leishmania chagasi gp63 and heat shock protein in a human macrophage cell line.	the ability of the protozoan leishmania chagasi to infect a vertebrate host depends on its ability to survive intracellularly in a mammalian macrophage. novel patterns of gene expression are probably important for conversion from the extracellular promastigote to the obligate intracellular amastigote parasite form. we found that the human macrophage-like cell line u937 provided an in vitro model of phagocytosis of l. chagasi promastigotes and intracellular conversion to amastigotes, allowing exa ...	1996	8613395
leishmania chagasi: a gene encoding a protein kinase with a catalytic domain structurally related to map kinase kinase.	the gene for a serine/threonine protein kinase was isolated from leishmania chagasi. the deduced amino acid sequence encoded by this leishmania protein kinase (lpk-1) gene possesses all of the 11 conserved subdomains found in most other serine/threonine protein kinase catalytic domains. sequence alignment with other known protein kinases demonstrates that the 42-kda lpk-1 is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase family involved in the signal-transduction pathways in yeast and m ...	1996	8617352
rk39: a cloned antigen of leishmania chagasi that predicts active visceral leishmaniasis.	the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (vl), a serious and often fatal parasitic disease caused by members of the leishmania donovani complex, remains problematic. current methods rely on clinical criteria, parasite identification in aspirate material, and serology. the latter methods use crude antigen preparations lacking in specificity. a previously described cloned antigen, rk39, of leishmania specific for all members of the l. donovani complex (l. chagasi, l. donovani, l. infantum) was very ...	1996	8627048
bionomics of lutzomyia evansi (diptera: psychodidae) vector of visceral leishmaniasis in northern columbia.	the feeding behavior, seasonality, and natural infection rate of lutzomyia evansi (nuñez-tovar) with leishmania chagasi (cuna & chagas) was studied during a 12-mo period at 2 hamlets, el contento and vidales. sand fly abundance in extra-, peri-, and intradomestic habitats was evaluated with sticky traps and cdc light traps, whereas human bait and shannon trap collections were made only in peridomestic habitats. all trapping methods showed a clear predominance of l. evansi throughout the year. sa ...	1996	8667372
visceral leishmaniasis in the hoary zorro dusicyon vetulus: a case of mistaken identity.	the historical identification of the brazilian 'north-eastern' zorro as dusicyon vetulus is questioned in relation to its incrimination as a reservoir of leishmania chagasi, the agent of american visceral leishmaniasis. comparative cranial and dental morphology showed that specimens of this north-eastern species more closely resemble the crab-eating zorro cerdocyon thous, conforming with the documented geographical ranges of the respective species. we conclude that the single 'wild' canid host o ...	1996	8944254
histopathology and immunocytochemical study of type 3 and type 4 complement receptors in the liver and spleen of dogs naturally and experimentally infected with leishmania (leishmania) chagasi.	the objective of this study was to compare the histopathological changes and expression of cr3 and cr4 in the liver and spleen of dogs naturally and experimentally infected with l. chagasi. the basic histopathological lesions observed mainly in naturally infected dogs were: epithelioid hepatic granulomas, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of kupffer cells, malpigui follicles and mononucleated cells of the red pulp of the spleen. sections from the liver and spleen by immunocytochemistry technique showe ...	1996	9071026
cross-reactivity of antibodies in human infections by the kinetoplastid protozoa trypanosoma cruzi, leishmania chagasi and leishmania (viannia) braziliensis.	we have detected antibodies, in the sera of chagas disease, kala-azar and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis patients, that bind multiple antigens shared between the three causative agents. the chagas disease sera showed 98 to 100% positive results by elisa when the leishmania braziliensis and leishmania chagasi antigens were used, respectively. the kala-azar sera showed 100% positive results with trypanosoma cruzi or l. braziliensis antigens by immunofluorescence assays. the antibodies in the sera of ...	1996	9163981
ecological interactions of visceral leishmaniasis in the state of bahia, brazil.	the laboratory and field observations summarized in this paper on visceral leishmaniasis ecology in the state of bahia, brazil are based on the author's observations over the past 35 years in a number of state's foci, public health records and literature citations. the disease is endemic with epidemic outbreaks occurring every ten years and its geographical distribution is expanding rapidly in the last years. leishmania chagasi is the main ethiologic agent of the visceral leishmaniasis but le. a ...	1996	9283643
phase i and ii open clinical trials of a vaccine against leishmania chagasi infections in dogs.		1996	9283646
cloning, characterization and overexpression of two iron superoxide dismutase cdnas from leishmania chagasi: role in pathogenesis.	we have isolated and characterized two superoxide dismutase (sod) cdnas from a leishmania chagasi promastigote cdna library using degenerate primers derived from conserved amino acid residues of previously isolated manganese and iron sods. comparison of these two l. chagasi sod deduced amino acid sequences with previously isolated mnsod and fesod amino acid sequences revealed that they have higher homology to, and complete conservation of, invariant residues found in iron-containing sods. southe ...	1997	9497044
molecular cloning, characterization and overexpression of two distinct cysteine protease cdnas from leishmania donovani chagasi.	we have cloned and characterized two distinct cysteine protease cdnas from leishmania donovani chagasi. one of the cdnas, ldccy2, was isolated from a cdna library prepared from total promastigote rna while the other cdna, ldccys1, was isolated from a cdna library prepared from total amastigote rna. ldccys2 has an open reading frame of 471 amino acids and ldccys1 has an open reading frame of 447 amino acids. comparison of the predicted protein sequences of the two distinct cysteine proteases with ...	1997	9497047
mapping of the antigenic determinants of the leishmania infantum gp63 protein recognized by antibodies elicited during canine visceral leishmaniasis.	the gp63 gene encoding the major surface antigen of leishmania infantum has been cloned and sequenced. in spite of the overall sequence homology with the gp63 genes from other leishmania species, particularly with the constitutively expressed leishmania chagasi gp63 gene, the carboxy-terminal ends of these genes are clearly divergent (62% homology). to study the prevalence of anti-gp63 antibodies in the sera from dogs with visceral leishmaniasis, a recombinant l. infantum gp63 protein was expres ...	1997	9172421
glycoprotein 46 mrna abundance is post-transcriptionally regulated during development of leishmania chagasi promastigotes to an infectious form.	gp46 is an abundant glycoprotein of 46 kda on the surface of the promastigote form of most leishmania species. we show that the steady state level of gp46 mrna increases >>30-fold as leishmania chagasi promastigotes develop in vitro from a less infectious form during logarithmic growth to a highly infectious form in the stationary phase of cultivation. nuclear run-on experiments demonstrate that this increase in gp46 mrna abundance is regulated post-transcriptionally. plasmids containing the 3'- ...	1997	9211875
asymptomatic leishmania chagasi infection in relatives and neighbors of patients with visceral leishmaniasis.	the frequency of asymptomatic infection among relatives and neighbors of cases of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) was compared and characterization of the immunological response in these subjects was performed. cases were from a new endemic area close to the beach and near salvador capital of the state of bahia, brazil. the characterization of asymptomatic infection was made using a skin reaction test and detection of antibody to leishmania chagasi by the elisa test. to characterize the immunologica ...	1997	9302407
effect of eliminating seropositive canines on the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil.	in brazil, where leishmania chagasi causes endemic american visceral leishmaniasis (avl), the spread and maintenance of human disease are attributed to canine reservoirs. however, despite measures directed toward the elimination of infected canines, the incidence of human disease continues to increase. to evaluate the role of infected canines in the acquisition of avl by humans, we undertook a controlled intervention study in three similar, but isolated, valleys of pancas, espírito santo, brazil ...	1997	9402389
leishmania chagasi: genotypically similar parasites from honduras cause both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans.	in the mediterranean region leishmania infantum causes both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. these two pathologies tend to be caused by distinct parasite zymodemes. we have studied 33 isolates of leishmania, 2 from sandflies, 5 from visceral cases, and 26 from cutaneous cases in honduras, to determine if there is a correlation between pathology and parasite type in the new world similar to that in the mediterranean region. nine of the 26 cutaneous cases were caused by l. mexicana parasites, ...	1997	9085923
clinical recovery and limited cure in canine visceral leishmaniasis treated with aminosidine (paromomycin).	three groups of three, six, and 12 dogs with parasitologically proven clinical visceral leishmaniasis (leishmania chagasi infection) were treated with intramuscular aminosidine sulfate at doses of 20 mg/kg/day for 15 days; 80 mg/kg/day for 20 days, and 40 mg/kg/day for 30 days, respectively. follow-up was by parasitologic examination of bone marrow and skin, serology using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test, and clinical examination for signs of visceral leishmaniasis or adverse effect ...	1998	9574790
cohort study on canine emigration and leishmania infection in an endemic area for american visceral leishmaniasis. implications for the disease control.	american visceral leishmaniasis is a main public health matter in brazil. since dogs have been incriminated as the main urban reservoir of avl agent leishmania chagasi, a cohort study aimed at understanding the dynamics of the canine infection was carried out in jequié--an endemic community in the northeast of brazil. the inhabited urban and periurban areas of jequié were divided into 140 clusters of 0.25 km2. all 1681 dogs domiciled in 34 randomly selected clusters were screened for leishmania ...	1998	9588243
cytokine profile and pathology in human leishmaniasis.	the clinical spectrum of leishmaniasis and control of the infection are influenced by the parasite-host relationship. the role of cellular immune responses of the th1 type in the protection against disease in experimental and human leishmaniasis is well established. in humans, production of ifn-gamma is associated with the control of infection in children infected by leishmania chagasi. in visceral leishmaniasis, an impairment in ifn-gamma production and high il-4 and il-10 levels (th2 cytokines ...	1998	9686192
anti-leishmanial ige antibodies: a marker of active disease in visceral leishmaniasis.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is characterized by a depression of the t helper cell type 1 immune response. although mrna expression for interleukin-4 (il-4) is observed, evidence of the role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of vl has been lacking. since il-4 is involved in ige synthesis, we measured the total ige and leishmania antigen-specific ige antibody levels in sera from patients with vl. specific ige antibodies detected by an elisa technique after absorbing the sera with purified sheep ...	1998	9749638
evidence for the existence of a surface receptor for ferriclactoferrin and ferrictransferrin associated with the plasma membrane of the protozoan parasite leishmania donovani.	previous work has demonstrated the ability of the promastigote form of the protozoan parasite leishmania chagasi to utilize iron chelated to lactoferrin and transferrin for growth and metabolism. we have obtained evidence suggesting that the promastigote form of the parasite possesses specific binding sites for lactoferrin and transferrin. lactoferrin binding appears to be: 1) independent of whether or not the protein contains iron; 2) not inhibited by transferrin; and 3) independent of whether ...	1998	9781352
regulatory sequences and a novel gene in the msp (gp63) gene cluster of leishmania chagasi.	the surface protease gp63 of leishmania chagasi is encoded by a cluster of more than 18 tandem major surface protease (msp) genes belonging to three classes (mspl, msps, mspc). mspl and msps transcripts are differentially expressed during parasite growth. rnas from msps genes predominate during stationary phase, the time when parasite virulence and gp63 expression are maximal. we hypothesized that the unique regions downstream of msps genes contain signals important for gene expression. the 2.8 ...	1998	9803417
unresponsive cd4+ t lymphocytes from leishmania chagasi-infected mice increase cytokine production and mediate parasite killing after blockade of b7-1/ctla-4 molecular pathway.	infection of balb/c mice with leishmania chagasi results in progressive increase of parasite burden in spleen, in spite of extensive t cell activation in situ. explanted splenic cd4+ t cells showed decreased proliferation to anti-cd3, compared with controls, and no response to l. chagasi recombinant antigen lcr1. blockade of the negative costimulatory receptor ctla-4 restored responses to anti-cd3 and induced vigorous responses to lcr1. blockade of b7-1, but not b7-2, also enhanced t cell respon ...	1998	9815249
random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd) analysis of lutzomyia longipalpis laboratory populations.	the phlebotomine sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis has been incriminated as a vector of american visceral leishmaniasis, caused by leishmania chagasi. however, some evidence has been accumulated suggesting that it may exist in nature not as a single but as a species complex. our goal was to compare four laboratory reference populations of l. longipalpis from distinct geographic regions at the molecular level by rapd-pcr. we screened genomic dna for polymorphic sites by pcr amplification with decame ...	1998	9713138
a cloned antigen (recombinant k39) of leishmania chagasi diagnostic for visceral leishmaniasis in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 patients and a prognostic indicator for monitoring patients undergoing drug therapy.	serologic assays using crude antigens for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv)-seropositive patients have been shown to lack sensitivity and specificity, particularly in aids patients. antibodies to a cloned antigen, recombinant (r) k39, of leishmania chagasi are specific for members of the leishmania donovani complex and have been shown to indicate active disease in immunocompetent persons. this study demonstrated that antibodies to rk39 were also ...	1998	9593022
single-step multiplex pcr assay for characterization of new world leishmania complexes.	we have developed a pcr assay for one-step differentiation of the three complexes of new world leishmania (leishmania braziliensis, leishmania mexicana, and leishmania donovani). this multiplex assay is targeted to the spliced leader rna (mini-exon) gene repeats of these organisms and can detect all three complexes simultaneously, generating differently sized products for each complex. the assay is specific to the leishmania genus and does not recognize related kinetoplastid protozoa, such as tr ...	1998	9650950
isolation, characterization and disruption of the casein kinase ii alpha subunit gene of leishmania chagasi.	to elucidate the role played by casein kinase ii in leishmania survival, we have isolated and characterized the leishmania chagasi casein kinase ii alpha subunit cdna, (l.c ckiialpha). the 1083 bp coding region is flanked by 148 bp of 5' utr and 1155 bp of 3' utr. l.c ckiialpha shows a remarkable degree of similarity with other isolated casein kinase ii alpha subunit sequences. l.c ckiialpha protein is encoded by a single copy gene that transcribes a mrna of 2.4 kb. the 41.2 kda l.c ckiialpha pr ...	1998	9657325
leishmania (leishmania) chagasi: clinical and parasitological observations in experimentally infected didelphis marsupialis, reservoir of new world visceral leishmaniasis.		1998	9501852
species-specificity in endoplasmic reticulum signal peptide utilization revealed by proteins from trypanosoma brucei and leishmania.	n-terminal signal peptides direct secretory and most membrane proteins into the exocytic pathway at the endoplasmic reticulum. signal sequences can function across kingdoms. however, our attempts at translocating variant surface glycoprotein (vsg) 117, vsg mvat7, vsg 221 and bip from trypanosoma brucei and gp63 from leishmania chagasi into canine pancreas microsomes failed. on replacing the signal peptide of vsg 117 with that from yeast prepro-alpha-mating factor (ppalphamf) the chimaeric protei ...	1998	9531493
dynamics of leishmania chagasi infection in small mammals of the undisturbed and degraded tropical dry forests of northern colombia.	the infection rate with leishmania chagasi and the population dynamics of small mammals were studied in an undisturbed forest reserve (colosó) and an area of highly degraded forest (san andrés de sotavento [sas]) in northern colombia, both endemic for visceral leishmaniasis. live trapping of mammals was done every month, and species, age, sex and reproductive status determined. l. chagasi was detected in samples of skin or spleen by the polymerase chain reaction, after extraction of deoxyribonuc ...	1998	9861395
immunotherapy for visceral leishmaniasis: ability of factors produced during anti-leishmania responses of skin test positive adults to inhibit peripheral blood mononuclear cell activities associated with visceral leishmaniasis.	the course of human leishmania chagasi infections appears to be determined by the balance between type 1 (tl) cd4+ and cd8+ t suppressor (ts) cell activities. skin test positive adults living in hyperendemic areas who have no history of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) have tl cd4+ t cell immunodominant responses against l. chagasi. the cytokines they secrete during anti-leishmania responses are a probable source of cytokines which inhibit the cd8+ ts cells associated with vl. the ability of supernat ...	1999	10029912
the re-emergence of american visceral leishmaniasis in an old focus in venezuela. ii. vectors and parasites.	as part of an epidemiological study in an old focus of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) in venezuela (guayabita, aragua state), a longitudinal entomological survey (january 1993-june 1994) was carried out. a total of 3,239 males and 6,043 females belonging to 11 phlebotomine sandfly species were collected. the two recognised vectors of avl in the new world, lutzomyia evansi and lu. longipalpis were found to be sympatric. lutzomyia evansi was the dominant species (86.4%), almost ten fold tim ...	1999	10416185
breeding structure of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) in brazil.	eleven populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva), the sand fly vector of leishmania chagasi, from different areas of brazil were analyzed for genetic variation at 16 enzyme loci. in this region, the prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) caused by l. chagasi is spotty and reproductive isolation among populations of lu. longipalpis has been reported. it is thought that morphologically similar cryptic species with varying vectorial capacity may be responsible for the discontinuous dis ...	1999	10432072
cloning, characterization and serological evaluation of k9 and k26: two related hydrophilic antigens of leishmania chagasi.	we report here the molecular cloning and characterization of two related hydrophilic antigens of leishmania chagasi. these two antigens have predicted molecular weights of approximately 9 and 26 kda and detect antibodies in sera of patients with kala-azar (k). thus, to maintain consistency with nomenclature of the previously described 39 kda diagnostic antigen of l. chagasi (k39 [1]), these antigens are being referred to as k9 and k26. a significant difference between k9 and k26 is the presence ...	1999	10498181
visceral leishmaniasis in costa rica: first case report.	we describe a 15-month-old eutrophic immunocompetent male who presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. leishmania amastigotes were identified in spleen and bone marrow specimens. in addition, tissue culture, animal inoculation, and isoenzyme analysis identified the parasite as leishmania donovani infantum or leishmania donovani chagasi. the infant was successfully treated with an antimonial drug. these findings represent the first case of visceral leish ...	1999	10530466
prevalence of trypanosoma cruzi and leishmania chagasi infection and risk factors in a colombian indigenous population.	this study was carried out in order to obtain base-line data concerning the epidemiology of american visceral leishmaniasis and chagas' disease in an indigenous population with whom the government is starting a dwelling improvement programme. information was collected from 242 dwellings (1,440 people), by means of house to house interviews about socio-economic and environmental factors associated with leishmania chagasi and trypanosoma cruzi transmission risk. a leishmanin skin test was applied ...	1999	10564916
the status of the lutzomyia longipalpis species complex and possible implications for leishmania transmission.	the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis sensu latu has been identified as the principal vector of american visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially fatal disease that primarily affects children in several countries of south and central america. over the past several years increases have occurred both in the number of reported cases and the population at risk: approximately 1.6 million people reside in highly endemic areas with 16,000 cases reported annually. several studies have attempted to relate the ...	1999	10585647
the fucose-mannose ligand-elisa in the diagnosis and prognosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis in brazil.	the fucose-mannose ligand (fml)-elisa assay showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 100% in diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) (kala-azar) in sera from naturally infected dogs from são gonçalo do amaranto, rio grande de norte, brazil. the overall prevalence of antibodies to leishmania in the endemic area was 23% (79 of 343). seroreactivity detected by a leishmania chagasi immunofluorescent (if) assay was much lower (2.9%) and similar to the percentage of dogs with kala-az ...	1999	10463683
widespread atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by leishmania (l.) chagasi in nicaragua.	leishmania chagasi, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in the americas, has recently been associated with atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis (acl) in central america; however, little comprehensive information about this disease is available. clinical, epidemiologic, and parasitologic characteristics of 252 acl cases and 44 vl cases in nicaragua were analyzed. visceral leishmaniasis is primarily associated with malnourished children less than five years of age, whereas acl is found ...	1999	10497975
genomic diversity in the leishmania donovani complex.	the leishmania donovani complex is considered to be composed of 3 species; l. donovani, l. infantum and l. chagasi, although this classification has been challenged. genotypic relationships within the complex were evaluated at different levels by: binding of the probe lmet9, specific for l. chagasi and old world leishmania spp.; partial sequencing of a constitutive major surface protease single gene (mspc) and random amplification of polymorphic dna (rapd). the old world leishmania spp. and the ...	1999	10503249
experimental treatment with sodium stibogluconate of hamsters infected with leishmania (leishmania) chagasi and leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis.	the present paper reports the experimental treatment of hamsters infected with leishmania chagasi and leishmania amazonensis with sodium stibogluconate (20 mg/kg/day x 20 days). only with l. chagasi did the treatment result in the complete elimination of parasites from the spleen. however, no parasitological cure was achieved in hamsters infected with l. amazonensis.	1999	10228371
t cell response of asymptomatic leishmania chagasi infected subjects to recombinant leishmania antigens.	in areas of leishmania chagasi transmission the ability to control leishmania infection is associated with ifn-gamma production. in visceral leishmaniasis down-regulation of t cell responses is mediated by interleukin-10 (il-10). in this study we evaluated the lymphoproliferative response, ifn-gamma and il-10 production on lymphocyte cultures stimulated with recombinant leishmania antigens in subjects with asymptomatic l. chagasi infection. there was a statistically significant difference in the ...	1999	10348984
novel methods for the encapsulation of meglumine antimoniate into liposomes.	the antimonial drug, meglumine antimoniate, was successfully encapsulated in dehydration-rehydration vesicles and in freeze-dried empty liposomes (fdels). high encapsulation efficiencies (from 28 to 58%) and low weight ratios of lipids to encapsulated antimony (from 1:0.15 to 1:0.3) were achieved. these formulations, contrary to those obtained by conventional methods, can be stored as intermediate lyophilized forms and reconstituted just before use. the efficacy of fdel-encapsulated meglumine an ...	2000	10881061
sibling species in the llutzomyia longipalpis complex differ in levels of mrna expression for the salivary peptide, maxadilan.	maxadilan is a small ( approximately 7 kda) protein found in the saliva of sand fly species in the lutzomyia longipalpis complex, vectors of the parasite causing visceral leishmaniasis, leishmania chagasi. it is a potent vasodilator and also has immunomodulatory affects. maxadilan recovered from different sibling species of the lu. longipalpis complex differ in amino acid content by as much as 23%, however all variants possess equivalent vasodilatory activity. therefore, the dramatic differences ...	2000	10886415
inducible resistance to oxidant stress in the protozoan leishmania chagasi.	leishmania sp. protozoa are introduced into a mammalian skin by a sandfly vector, whereupon they encounter increased temperature and toxic oxidants generated during phagocytosis. we studied the effects of 37 degrees c "heat shock" or sublethal menadione, which generates superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, on leishmania chagasi virulence. both heat and menadione caused parasites to become more resistant to h(2)o(2)-mediated toxicity. peroxide resistance was also induced as promastigotes developed i ...	2000	10931831
early in vitro priming of distinct t(h) cell subsets determines polarized growth of visceralizing leishmania in macrophages.	an in vitro priming system of murine naive splenocytes was established to investigate early immune responses to leishmania chagasi, the agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the new world. priming of splenocytes from resistant c3h and cba or susceptible balb and b10 mice with l. chagasi resulted in blast transformation and in proliferating parasite-specific cd4(+) t cells secreting a differential complement of cytokines (ifn-gamma and low il-10 levels for resistant t cells; ifn-gamma, il-4 and high ...	2000	10967017
cd4(+) t cells participate in the nephropathy of canine visceral leishmaniasis.	renal involvement in visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is very frequent. the renal lesions of humans and dogs are similar but their pathogenesis has not been clearly elucidated. there is growing evidence that the cellular immune response is involved in the pathogenesis of immunologically mediated glomerulonephritis. since t cells could participate in the pathogenesis of nephropathy, in the present study we investigated the possible involvement of cd4(+) and cd8(+) t cells in the nephropathy of canine ...	2000	11105098
establishment and characterization of a new continuous cell line from lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) and its susceptibility to infections with arboviruses and leishmania chagasi.	embryonic tissue explants of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva 1912) the main vector of leishmania chagasi (cunha and chagas), were used to obtain a continuous cell line (lulo). the tissues were seeded in mm/vp12 medium and these were incubated at 28 masculinec. the first subculture was obtained 45 days after explanting and 96 passages have been made to date. lulo is composed of epithelioid cells, showed a 0.04 generations/hour exponential growth rate and population doubling time ...	2000	10656714
tgf-beta mediates ctla-4 suppression of cellular immunity in murine kalaazar.	recent studies indicate important roles for ctla-4 engagement in t cells, and for tgf-beta production in the immunopathogenesis of murine kalaazar or visceral leishmaniasis, but a functional link between these two pathways in helping intracellular parasite growth is unknown. here we report that ag or anti-cd3 activation of splenic cd4+ t cells from visceral leishmaniasis leads to intense ctla-4-mediated tgf-beta1 production, as assessed either by ctla-4 blockade or by direct ctla-4 cross-linkage ...	2000	10657651
distribution of phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in the state of rio grande do norte, brazil.	visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis are major endemic diseases in northeast brazil. the objective of the current study was to determine the species and geographic distribution of potential sand fly vectors of leishmania in the state of rio grande do norte. sand flies were captured using cdc light traps in 30 municipalities distributed throughout the 8 geographic zones of the state. twelve lutzomyia species were identified. lutzomyia longipalpis lutz & neiva was the most prevalent and accounted ...	2000	15218921
bcg expressing lcr1 of leishmania chagasi induces protective immunity in susceptible mice.	cellular immune responses are required for protective immunity against leishmania chagasi. immunization strategies using live intracellular bacteria (e.g., bacille-calmette guerin strain of mycobacterium bovis) expressing recombinant antigens can induce cellular immune responses to these antigens. previous studies demonstrated that the l. chagasi antigen lcr1 stimulates ifn-gamma production from t cells of infected balb/c mice, and immunization with recombinant lcr1 partially protects against l. ...	2000	10631078
il-10 and il-12 are the main regulatory cytokines in visceral leishmaniasis.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is characterized by the absence of cytokines such as ifn-gamma and il-12. cure of vl is associated with a restoration of the ability to make these cytokines. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of il-12 in the recovery of the ability to produce ifn-gamma and to test whether or not il-4 il-10 and/or tgf-beta could suppress ifn-gamma production by pbmc from treated vl patients. high stimulation index (si) of proliferation was observed in pbmc from subj ...	2000	10930301
natural history of leishmania (leishmania) chagasi infection in northeastern brazil: long-term follow-up.		2000	10722458
the strange case of leishmania chagasi.		2000	10782075
competence of the human host as a reservoir for leishmania chagasi.	the failure of control programs for visceral leishmaniasis (vl) that depend on elimination of infected dogs suggests that other reservoir hosts may participate in the transmission cycle. to determine whether persons infected with leishmania chagasi can infect the vector sand fly, laboratory-reared lutzomyia longipalpis were allowed to feed on brazilian subjects with active, cured, and asymptomatic vl and on asymptomatic residents of houses of persons with active vl. of 3747 insects that had fed, ...	2000	10950806
protective immunity against the protozoan leishmania chagasi is induced by subclinical cutaneous infection with virulent but not avirulent organisms.	protective immunity against leishmania major is provided by s.c. immunization with a low dose of l. major promastigotes or with dihydrofolate-thymidylate synthase gene locus (dhfr-ts) gene knockout l. major organisms. whether these vaccine strategies will protect against infection with other leishmania species that elicit distinct immune responses and clinical syndromes is not known. therefore, we investigated protective immunity to leishmania chagasi, a cause of visceral leishmaniasis. in contr ...	2001	11160240
tissue cytokine responses in canine visceral leishmaniasis.	to elucidate the local tissue cytokine response of dogs infected with leishmania chagasi, cytokine mrna levels were measured in bone marrow aspirates from 27 naturally infected dogs from brazil and were compared with those from 5 uninfected control animals. interferon-gamma mrna accumulation was enhanced in infected dogs and was positively correlated with humoral (igg1) but not with lymphoproliferative responses to leishmania antigen in infected dogs. increased accumulation of mrna for interleuk ...	2001	11294678
canine visceral leishmaniosis: a remarkable histopathological picture of one case reported from brazil.	this report describes a remarkable histopathological presentation of a symptomatic dog naturally infected with leishmania (leishmania) chagasi from brazil. an intense inflammatory granulomatous reaction was observed in the liver and spleen associated with hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the mononuclear system (the classical histopathological picture of the disease). in addition, a spectrum of vascular lesions was observed in many organs. however, we did not find parasites (amastigotes of leishman ...	2001	11240094
regulation of gp63 mrna stability in promastigotes of virulent and attenuated leishmania chagasi.	gp63 is a 63-kda glycoprotein that is abundantly expressed on the surface of all leishmania species and is involved in several steps of promastigote infection of host cells. leishmania chagasi has at least 18 haploid msp (major surface protease) genes encoding gp63 that are divided into three classes, msps, mspl or mspc, according to their unique 3' utr sequences and differential expression. all three msp classes are constitutively transcribed during virulent promastigote growth in vitro, althou ...	2001	11166386
genetic epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in northeastern brazil.	familial clustering of disease, racial differences in asymptomatic:disease ratios, and studies of mice all point to a genetic component for disease susceptibility in visceral leishmaniasis. analysis of 87 multi-case pedigrees (824 individuals; 138 nuclear families) from a region of northeastern brazil endemic for leishmania chagasi demonstrates a high relative risk ratio (lambda(2s) = 34) to further siblings of affected sibling pairs. complex segregation analysis using pointer and comds show tha ...	2001	11255246
detection of immunoglobulin g in the lung and liver of hamsters with visceral leishmaniasis.	several organs are affected in visceral leishmaniasis, not only those rich in mononuclear phagocytes. hypergammaglobulinemia occurs during visceral leishmaniasis; anti-leishmania antibodies are not primarily important for protection but might be involved in the pathogenesis of tissue lesions. the glomerulonephritis occurring in visceral leishmaniasis has been attributed to immune complex deposition but in other organs the mechanism has not been studied. in the current study we demonstrated the p ...	2001	11285467
visceral leishmaniasis in the metropolitan region of belo horizonte, state of minas gerais, brazil.	in the last few years the number of human cases of american visceral leishmaniasis in the metropolitan region of belo horizonte (mrbh), minas gerais, brazil has increased, indicating an elevation in the transmission rate of the disease. the total number of notified human cases in the mrbh since 1994, when the first case was identified, up to 1999 was 345 of which 223 (65%) were from the city itself, indicating an urbanization of the disease in this region of minas gerais. the age distribution of ...	2001	11313633
cloning and characterization of three differentially expressed peroxidoxin genes from leishmania chagasi. evidence for an enzymatic detoxification of hydroxyl radicals.	antioxidants have been implicated in protecting cells from oxygen radicals produced as a result of aerobic metabolism and in response to foreign pathogens by phagocytic cells. the mechanisms allowing pathogens to withstand the toxic prooxidant environment within the phagolysosome are poorly understood. we have cloned and characterized three antioxidant genes belonging to the 2-cys family of peroxidoxins from leishmania chagasi that may prove to provide these parasites with an enhanced defense me ...	2001	11438539
localized lymphadenopathy due to leishmanial infection.	a 25-year-old female patient presented with an isolated cervical lymph node enlargement several months after having returned from spain and latin america. she had no other signs or symptoms of disease. leishmania infantum/chagasi was identified as the causative agent. with extended travel activities localized lymph node enlargement due to leishmanial infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy of unknown origin.	2001	11787841
canine visceral leishmaniasis in colombia: relationship between clinical and parasitologic status and infectivity for sand flies.	we studied the reservoir competency of canines with distinct clinical presentations of leishmania chagasi infection. the parasitologic status of asymptomatic and symptomatic dogs was determined by standard culture methods infectivity was assessed by multiple xenodiagnoses with lutzomyia longipalpis, over a period of 2-11 months. asymptomatic dogs were non-infective (0 of 5) while 2 of 7 oligosymptomatic dogs infected l longipalpis, transmitting the parasites at low rates (range 0.9-5.2% of engor ...	2001	11442205
mannan-binding lectin enhances susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis.	levels of the serum opsonin mannan-binding lectin (mbl) were directly correlated with the probability of developing visceral leishmaniasis. monocytes infected with mbl-opsonized leishmania chagasi promastigotes secreted higher levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 than cells infected with nonopsonized parasites. our findings indicate that mbl can modulate the clinical outcome of infection with l. chagasi and the function of infected macrophages.	2001	11447210
inhibition of macrophage invasion by monoclonal antibodies specific to leishmania (viannia) braziliensis promastigotes and characterisation of their antigens.	monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognise leishmania (viannia) braziliensis promastigotes were produced and termed sst-2, sst-3 and sst-4. sst-2 recognises a conformational epitope present in a 24-28 kda doublet and in a 72 kda component, as verified by western blotting. indirect immunofluorescence showed that the antigen recognised by sst-2 is distributed homogeneously on the parasite surface. sst-3 recognises a flagellar glycoprotein of approximately 180 kda. the reactivity of this mab ...	2001	11595232
oxidative responses of human and murine macrophages during phagocytosis of leishmania chagasi.	leishmania chagasi, the cause of south american visceral leishmaniasis, must survive antimicrobial responses of host macrophages to establish infection. macrophage oxidative responses have been shown to diminish in the presence of intracellular leishmania. however, using electron spin resonance we demonstrated that murine and human macrophages produce o2-during phagocytosis of opsonized promastigotes. addition of the o2- scavenger 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-n-oxyl to cultures result ...	2001	11441096
[occurrence of canine visceral leishmaniasis in an agricultural settlement in the state of mato grosso do sul, brazil].	during previous research on phlebotomine fauna in a settlement of the brazilian national agrarian reform institute (incra) on the bodoquena range, mato grosso do sul state, brazil, dogs were observed with clinical aspects suggestive of visceral leishmaniasis. a serological survey to leishmaniasis in 97 dogs, by indirect immunofluorescence test, showed 23 (23.7%) serum positive dogs. samples of the parasites were identified as leishmania (leishmania) chagasi.	2001	11460220
[leishmania (leishmania) chagasi infection in children from an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in the são luís island-ma, brazil].	a prospective study was undertaken in 648 children with less than 6 years of age in the municipality of raposa, maranhão, brazil, from june 1997 to june 1998, to evaluate the characteristics of the infection by l.(l.)chagasi and verify if there is an association between malnutrition and asymptomatic infection. a standardized questionnaire was used containing socioeconomic, environmental and behavioral data. montenegro skin reaction (idrm) with l. amazonensis and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay ...	2001	11600910
isolation of leishmania infantum, zymodeme mon-1 from canine and human visceral leishmaniasis on margarita island, venezuela.	an increase in the incidence of human visceral leishmaniasis (hvl) has been detected in recent years on margarita island, located off the ne coast of venezuela. recent studies have revealed reactivity to rk39 antigen (leishmania chagasi) in 20% of 541 sera from domestic dogs in endemic communities; pcr reactions were positive using primers for the l. donovani complex. here we report that isolates from human and canine infection, identified by isoenzyme analysis, correspond to l. infantum, zymode ...	2001	11685252
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for recombinant k39 antigen in diagnosis and prognosis of indian visceral leishmaniasis.	the recombinant product (rk39) of the 39-amino-acid repeats encoded by a kinesin-like protein-encoding gene of leishmania chagasi was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for diagnostic potential and the ability to predict the response to therapy in indian kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis (vl); we also compared its performance with that of crude soluble antigen (csa). at the diagnosis of vl, the anti-rk39 antibody titer was 59-fold higher than the anti-csa antibody titer. wi ...	2001	11687466
wing geometry as a tool for studying the lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) complex.	toro toro (t) and yungas (y) have been described as genetically well differentiated populations of the lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) complex in bolivia. here we use geometric morphometrics to compare samples from these populations and new populations (bolivia and nicaragua), representing distant geographical origins, qualitative morphological variation ("one-spot" or "two-spots" phenotypes), ecologically distinct traits (peridomestic and silvatic populations), and possibly different ...	2001	11784928
phase 2 trial of wr6026, an orally administered 8-aminoquinoline, in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania chagasi.	there are no recognized orally administered treatments for any of the leishmaniases. the 8-aminoquinoline wr6026 is an orally administered analog of primaquine that cured 50% of patients with kala-azar in kenya at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day for 28 days. a further phase 2, open-label, dose-escalating safety and efficacy study was performed for kala-azar in brazil. cure rates for brazilian patients treated for 28 days were as follows: 1 mg/kg/day: 0 of 4 (0%); 1.5 mg/kg/day: 1 of 6 (17%); 2.0 mg/kg/day ...	2001	11791957
short report: detection of leishmania dna by polymerase chain reaction on blood samples from dogs with visceral leishmaniasis.	immunological, parasitological, and molecular techniques were applied to blood samples of dogs to diagnose leishmania infections. in 1997, 644 domestic dogs were studied. peripheral blood samples were collected for serological diagnosis and detection of leishmania parasite by polymerase chain reaction (pcr). the indirect immunofluorescence test was positive in 139 (21.6%) of 644 dogs examined. the pcr was performed in 70 blood samples and 3 bone marrow aspirates. a 120-bp fragment specific for l ...	2001	11791994
qbc for the diagnosis of human and canine american visceral leishmaniasis: preliminary data.	"quantitative buffy coat" (qbc) is a direct and fast fluorescent method used for the identification of blood parasites. since leishmania chagasi circulates in blood, we decided to test it in american visceral leishmaniasis (avl). bone marrow (bm) and peripheral blood (pb) of 49 persons and pb of 31 dogs were analyzed. qbc was positive in bm of 11/11 patients with avl and in 1/6 patients with other diseases. amastigotes were identified in pb of 18/22 patients with avl and in none without avl. the ...	2001	11813066