Publications

prostaglandin production from arachidonic acid and evidence for a 9,11-endoperoxide prostaglandin h2 reductase in leishmania.	lysates of leishmania promastigotes can metabolise arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. prostaglandin production was heat sensitive and not inhibited by aspirin or indomethacin. we cloned and sequenced the cdna of leishmania major, leishmania donovani, and leishmania tropica prostaglandin f(2alpha) synthase, and overexpressed their respective 34-kda recombinant proteins that catalyse the reduction of 9,11-endoperoxide pgh(2) to pgf(2alpha). database search and sequence alignment alignment showed ...	2002	12464415
evaluation of the direct agglutination test and the rk39 dipstick test for the sero-diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.	the direct agglutination test (dat) based on a freeze-dried antigen and the rk39 dipstick test were evaluated for the sero-diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (vl). the sensitivity and specificity of both tests were determined using sera from confirmed vl patients (n = 21), healthy controls (n = 19) and from patients with other confirmed infectious diseases (n = 42). the dat had a sensitivity and a specificity of 100%. the rk39 had a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 82%. both tests were ...	2002	12471430
the interplay between environmental and host factors during an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis in eastern sudan.	parasitic diseases, including human visceral leishmaniasis, are multifactorial. factors that are expected to play an important role in the parasite-human interaction are exposure, parasite "virulence" and host resistance factors. in populations exposed to leishmania donovani most subjects do not allow the parasites to establish themselves or remain asymptomatic. some individuals, however, fail to control parasite expansion and dissemination and develop a visceral disease. we report here the resu ...	2002	12475635
inhibition of hsp90 in trypanosoma cruzi induces a stress response but no stage differentiation.	the 90-kda heat shock proteins (hsp90) are important in the regulation of numerous intracellular processes in eukaryotic cells. in particular, hsp90 has been shown to be involved in the control of the cellular differentiation of the protozoan parasite leishmania donovani. we investigated the role of hsp90 in the related parasite trypanosoma cruzi by inhibiting its function using geldanamycin (ga). ga induced a dose-dependent increase in heat shock protein levels and a dose-dependent arrest of pr ...	2002	12477794
defective ccr7 expression on dendritic cells contributes to the development of visceral leishmaniasis.	interaction between dendritic cells (dcs) and t cells is essential for the generation of cell-mediated immunity. here we show that dcs from mice with chronic leishmania donovani infection fail to migrate from the marginal zone to the periarteriolar region of the spleen. stromal cells were fewer, which was associated with loss of ccl21 and ccl19 expression. the residual stromal cells and endothelium produced sufficient ccl21 to direct the migration of dcs transferred from naïve mice. however, dcs ...	2002	12436111
leishmania donovani suppresses activated protein 1 and nf-kappab activation in host macrophages via ceramide generation: involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase.	in vitro infection of murine peritoneal macrophages with the protozoan leishmania donovani has been found to alter the signaling parameters of the host. the present study indicates that the enhancement of intracellular ceramide level in macrophages after infection is a major event relating to macrophage dysfunction. we have previously demonstrated that increased ceramide synthesis in host macrophages was involved in the dephosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (erk). in the pre ...	2002	12438359
anilino-(2-bromophenyl) acetonitrile: a promising orally effective antileishmanial agent.	visceral leishmaniasis (vl) or kala-azar is a worldwide disseminated intracellular infection caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan parasites leishmania donovani. chemotherapeutic scenario presents a deplorable picture and demands an urgent search for a new and safe anti-vl drugs, preferably active by oral route. in search of new antileishmanial agents, a total of 16 compounds belonging to the anilino-(substituted phenyl)-acetonitrile class were tested in vitro in promastigote/macrophase-amastig ...	2002	12443794
[cloning and sequence analysis of lack gene of leishmania donovani isolates from plain and desert foci of china].	to determine the nucleotide sequence of the lack (leishmania homologue of receptors for activated protein kinase c) gene of leishmania donovani isolates from plain foci (l. d sd1) and desert foci (l. d xj771) of china, and to find out the difference of the sequence of lack gene with other leishimania spp. and also the isolate from hill foci of china.	2002	12568016
monoclonal antibody affinity purification of a 78 kda membrane protein of leishmania donovani of indian origin and its role in host-parasite interaction.	monoclonal antibodies were raised against pathogenic promastigotes of leishmania donovani of indian origin. among these, one was used for immuno-affinity purification of a 78 kda membrane protein present in both the amastigote and promastigote forms of the parasite. results of immunoblot experiments with the anti-78 kda antibody revealed that the protein was present only in parasites belonging to the l. donovani complex. the expression of the protein was observed to be the same during different ...	2002	12571371
nadh-oxidase, nadph-oxidase and myeloperoxidase activity of visceral leishmaniasis patients.	it is believed that the enhanced capability of activated macrophages to resist infection is related to the remarkable increase in the production of oxygen metabolites in response to phagocytosis. both the production of h2o2 and the oxidation of nad(p)h are directly dependent upon nad(p)h-oxidase. it has been established that the respiratory burst is due to activation of nad(p)h-oxidase localised in the plasmalemma. myeloperoxidase is believed to be involved in augmenting the cytotoxic activity o ...	2002	12435061
studies on stibanate unresponsive isolates of leishmania donovani.	visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar (ka) is generally caused by leishmania donovani. organic pentavalent antimonials (sbv) is the first line of treatment for ka. however, the number of ka patients unresponsive to treatment with sb(v) is steadily increasing in india and elsewhere. the primary objective of this work is to determine the factor(s) associated with the rise of unresponsiveness. analysis of the clonal population of parasites clearly indicated that wild type parasites isolat ...	2002	12381874
development of a fast agglutination screening test (fast) for the detection of anti-leishmania antibodies in dogs.	a fast agglutination screening test (fast) for the detection of anti-leishmania antibodies in serum samples from dogs with visceral leishmaniosis was developed. the test is based on the direct agglutination test (dat), but combines a higher parasite concentration with a smaller test volume. in contrast to the dat, the fast makes use of only one serum dilution and the results can be read within 3 h as opposed to 18-20 h for the dat. the fast was evaluated using serum samples of confirmed cases of ...	2002	12383620
leishmania ef-1alpha activates the src homology 2 domain containing tyrosine phosphatase shp-1 leading to macrophage deactivation.	the human leishmaniasis are persistent infections of macrophages caused by protozoa of the genus leishmania. the chronic nature of these infections is in part related to induction of macrophage deactivation, linked to activation of the src homology 2 domain containing tyrosine phosphatase-1 (shp-1) in infected cells. to investigate the mechanism of shp-1 activation, lysates of leishmania donovani promastigotes were subjected to shp-1 affinity chromatography and proteins bound to the matrix were ...	2002	12384497
peroxisomal targeting protein 14 (pex14) from leishmania donovani. molecular, biochemical, and immunocytochemical characterization.	pathogens of the leishmania and trypanosoma genera compartmentalize glycolytic and other nutritional pathways in glycosomes, unique subcellular organelles related to the peroxisomes of mammals and yeasts. most glycosomal proteins are targeted to the glycosomes by a cooh-terminal tripeptide signal similar to the peroxisomal targeting signal-1 (pts-1). it has been proposed that pts-1 forms a complex with the pex5 receptor protein which then docks to the glycosomal membrane through interactions wit ...	2002	12387850
a single-domain cyclophilin from leishmania donovani reactivates soluble aggregates of adenosine kinase by isomerase-independent chaperone function.	disaggregation and reactivation of aggregated proteins by chaperones is well established. however, little is known regarding such kind of function of single-domain small cyclophilins (cyps). here we demonstrate that, with increasing concentrations, fully active adenosine kinase (adk) of leishmania donovani tends to form soluble aggregates, resulting in inactivation. using this inactive enzyme as the substrate, it is shown that a cyp from l. donovani (ldcyp) alone can cause complete disaggregatio ...	2002	12244046
expression of calreticulin p-domain results in impairment of secretory pathway in leishmania donovani and reduced parasite survival in macrophages.	the secretory proteins of leishmania are thought to be involved in the parasite survival inside the insect vector or mammalian host. it is clear from studies in higher eukaryotes that proper folding in the endoplasmic reticulum and targeting out of the endoplasmic reticulum is critical for the function of secretory proteins. the endoplasmic reticulum chaperones such as calreticulin play an important role in the quality control of secretory proteins. however, very little is known about the secret ...	2002	12350377
crystallization and preliminary x-ray analysis of cyclophilin from leishmania donovani.	cyclophilin from the parasite leishmania donovani is a protein with peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase activity, in addition to being a receptor for the drug cyclosporin. crystals of the enzyme have been obtained in space group p4(3)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 48.73, c = 140.93 a, and diffract to 3.5 a resolution. one molecule per asymmetric unit gives a solvent content and matthews coefficient of 46% and 2.3 a(3) da(-1), respectively. molecular-replacement calculations with human c ...	2002	12351834
interleukin-10 (il-10) in experimental visceral leishmaniasis and il-10 receptor blockade as immunotherapy.	interleukin-10 (il-10) is thought to promote intracellular infection, including human visceral leishmaniasis, by disabling th1 cell-type responses and/or deactivating parasitized tissue macrophages. to develop a rationale for il-10 inhibition as treatment in visceral infection, th1 cytokine-driven responses were characterized in leishmania donovani-infected balb/c mice in which il-10 was absent or overexpressed or its receptor (il-10r) was blockaded. il-10 knockout and normal mice treated prophy ...	2002	12379707
peripheral intramonocytic and intraneutrophil leishmanias observed in a chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (cmmol) patient.		2002	12161378
regulation of reticuloendothelial iron transporter mtp1 (slc11a3) by inflammation.	acute and chronic inflammation cause many changes in total body iron metabolism including the sequestration of iron in phagocytic cells of the reticuloendothelial system. this change in iron metabolism contributes to the development of the anemia of inflammation. mtp1, the duodenal enterocyte basolateral iron exporter, is also expressed in the cells of the reticuloendothelial system (res) and is likely to be involved in iron recycling of these cells. in this study, we use a lipopolysaccharide mo ...	2002	12161425
a role for tumor necrosis factor-alpha in remodeling the splenic marginal zone during leishmania donovani infection.	the development of secondary lymphoid organs is a highly regulated process, mediated by tumor necrosis factor (tnf) family cytokines. in contrast, the mechanisms controlling changes in lymphoid architecture that occur during infectious disease are poorly understood. here we demonstrate that during infection with leishmania donovani, the marginal zone of mice undergoes extensive remodeling, similar in extent to developmental abnormalities in mice lacking some tnf family cytokines. this process is ...	2002	12163368
extract screening by hplc coupled to ms-ms, nmr, and cd: a dimeric and three monomeric naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids from ancistrocladus griffithii.	three new monomeric naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, ancistrogriffines a, b, and c, and the first dimer of a 7,8'-coupled naphthylisoquinoline, ancistrogriffithine a, have been detected by phytochemical online screening of plant extracts of ancistrocladus griffithii, using the analytical 'triad' hplc-ms/ms, hplc-nmr, and hplc-cd. ancistrogriffithine a, as well as ancistrogriffines a and c, were structurally completely assigned (including the absolute configuration) right from the extract, without ...	2002	12169315
histopathologic analysis of hamster hepatocytes submitted to experimental infection with leishmania donovani.	hepatocytes from different vertebrates are used increasingly as models of environmentally driven cell structure plasticity and for the investigation of ultrastructural pathological patterns induced by cell injury. the present study was carried out to assess the morphological changes in hamster hepatocytes subjected to chronic infection by amastigote forms of leishmania donovani. liver fragments were processed for routine light and transmission electron microscopy. for cytochemical visualization ...	2002	12172815
activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase attenuates leishmania donovani infection in macrophages.	leishmania-induced macrophage dysfunctions have been correlated with altered signaling events. in this work, we report that sb203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (mapk), increases leishmania donovani survival in human peripheral blood mononuclear macrophages. consistent with this finding, activation of p38 and c-jun n-terminal kinase (jnk) mapk signaling pathways by anisomycin significantly reduced parasite survival within these cells. however, the majority of t ...	2002	12183549
infectivity and virulence of leishmania donovani promastigotes: a role for media, source, and strain of parasite.	transformation of promastigotes of leishmania donovani strain ag83 from amastigotes derived from an infected animal was studied in three media, schneider's drosophila medium (sdm), medium 199 (m199), and biphasic m199 (b-m199) with 10% fetal bovine serum. the media, sdm and b-m199, both supported a more efficient transformation of promastigotes in comparison with m199. infectivity studies in hamsters and balb/c mice showed that promastigotes isolated in b-m199 were several folds more infective t ...	2002	12188216
characterization of leishmania donovani antigens encapsulated in liposomes that induce protective immunity in balb/c mice.	leishmania donovani promastigote membrane antigens (lag) encapsulated in positively charged liposomes have been found to induce very significant levels of protection against experimental visceral leishmaniasis. the protectively immunized animals exhibited profound delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody responses. the extent of protection induced by the same antigens, however, varied depending on the charge of the vesicles, with maximum induction by positively charged liposomes, followed by n ...	2002	12438344
humanitarian assistance in un operations: laboratory and consultative support of a local hospital in eritrea.	the united nations mission to eritrea and ethiopia deployed to monitor a cease-fire in a mutually agreed upon temporary security zone. support for the united nations (un) troops included a field dressing station supplied by the dutch navy, augmented by canadian personnel. as with most missions of this type, the health of the deployed canadian and dutch soldiers is such that there is time to provide some medical support to local civilian institutions. this article describes this interaction in er ...	2002	12188236
saponins, il12 and bcg adjuvant in the fml-vaccine formulation against murine visceral leishmaniasis.	the fml antigen of leishmania donovani, in combination with either riedel de haën (r), quila, qs21 saponins, il12 or bcg, was used in vaccination of an outbred murine model against visceral leishmaniasis (vl). significant and specific increases in anti-fml igg and igm responses were detected for all adjuvants, and in anti-fml igg1, igg2a and igg2b and delayed type of hypersensitivity to l. donovani lysate (dth), only for all saponins and il12. the qs21-fml and quila-fml groups achieved the highe ...	2002	12443660
leishmania lpg3 encodes a grp94 homolog required for phosphoglycan synthesis implicated in parasite virulence but not viability.	leishmania promastigotes express an abundant cell surface glycoconjugate, lipophosphoglycan (lpg). lpg contains a polymer of the disaccharide-phosphate repeat unit galbeta1,4manalpha1-po4, shared by other developmentally regulated molecules implicated in parasite virulence. functional complementation of a leishmania donovani lpg-defective mutant (ob1) accumulating a truncated lpg containing only the manalpha1-po4 residue of the first repeat unit identified lpg3, the leishmania homolog of the mam ...	2002	12198148
in vitro activity of triclisia patens and some bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids against leishmania donovani and trypanosoma brucei brucei.	in the search for antiprotozoal compounds from natural sources, triclisia patens displayed activity against l. donovani promastigotes (ic(50) = 1.5 microg/ml) and t. b. brucei blood stream trypomastigote forms (ic(50) = 31.25 microg/ml). in addition, a total of 20 bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids were screened for antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity in vitro. fangchinoline (ic(50) = 0.39 microm) was found to be as active as the standard pentamidine against leishmania donovani promastigo ...	2002	12203262
a proteomic approach to identify developmentally regulated proteins in leishmania infantum.	we used comparative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-de) and mass spectrometry methodologies to highlight and identify proteins that are differentially expressed in the intracellular stage of the parasite leishmania donovani infantum, a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. during its digenetic life cycle, leishmania alternates between the alimentary tract of the sandfly vector as an extracellular promastigote and the acidic phagolysosomes of macrophage cells as an intracellular amast ...	2002	12203896
strain typing in leishmania donovani by using sequence-confirmed amplified region analysis.	to differentiate strains of leishmania donovani, allelic markers at the dna level were developed by sequence-confirmed amplified region analysis (scar). homologous fragments from different strains of l. donovani were amplified by pcr using random primers and subsequently screened for single-strand conformation polymorphisms. direct sequencing revealed 55 sequence polymorphisms in eight co-dominant dna markers; 38 of them were single point mutations. heterozygosity was evident for 69% and fixed h ...	2002	12204226
oral miltefosine for indian visceral leishmaniasis.	there are 500,000 cases per year of visceral leishmaniasis, which occurs primarily in the indian subcontinent. almost all untreated patients die, and all the effective agents have been parenteral. miltefosine is an oral agent that has been shown in small numbers of patients to have a favorable therapeutic index for indian visceral leishmaniasis. we performed a clinical trial in india comparing miltefosine with the most effective standard treatment, amphotericin b.	2002	12456849
laboratory diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.		2002	12204943
genetic analysis of multicase families of visceral leishmaniasis in northeastern brazil: no major role for class ii or class iii regions of hla.	familial aggregation, high relative risk to siblings, and segregation analysis, suggest genetic control of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. class ii gene effects in mice, and high circulating tumour necrosis factor alpha in humans, provide reasons to target hla. fifteen polymorphic markers across 1.03 mb (dqb1 to tnfa) were genotyped (87 multicase families; 638 individuals). model-based parametric analyses using single-point combined segregation and linkage in comds, or multi-point linkage in a ...	2002	12209362
long lasting protection against canine kala-azar using the fml-quila saponin vaccine in an endemic area of brazil (são gonçalo do amarante, rn).	naturally exposed dogs of an endemic area were vaccinated with the fucose mannose ligand (fml) antigen of leishmania donovani in formulation with quila saponin. the 100% of vaccinees were seropositive to fml and showed intradermal reaction to l. donovani lysate, 2 months after vaccination. the absorbency values and size of intradermal reaction were both significantly higher in vaccinees than in controls along a 3.5 years period (anova, p<0.0001). the 25% of the control animals (two dogs on the f ...	2002	12213397
[present-day specific features of visceral leishmaniasis in georgia].		2002	12214518
difference in dna sequences in ssu rdna variable regions among pathogens isolated from different epidemic foci of visceral leishmaniasis in china.	to confirm the existence of point mutations in the ssu rdna variable regions of 5 leishmania donovani (l.d.) isolates from different epidemic foci in china.	2002	12490086
extramitochondrial localization of nadh-fumarate reductase in trypanosomatids.	trypanosoma brucei procyclic trypomastigotes and t. cruzi epimastigotes (both tulahuen and y strains) were permeabilized by incubation with increasing amounts of digitonin, causing enzymes to be released from different intracellular compartments. after 10 min incubation with digitonin, the cells were centrifuged and the activity of marker enzymes (aspartate-dependent malic enzyme for cytoplasm, hexokinase for glycosomes and either isocitrate dehydrogenase or citrate synthase for mitochondria) wa ...	2002	12223208
sequence analysis of the nramp1 genes from different bovine and buffalo breeds.	the natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (nramp1) has been reported to confer resistance or susceptibility to mycobacterium bovis, salmonella typhimurium, and leishmania donovani in the mouse, mus musculus. a gly and asp substitution at position 169 of the mouse nramp protein is invariably associated with the resistant and susceptible phenotypes, respectively. the present study aimed to detect polymorphisms in the nramp1 gene from different cattle and buffalo breeds. genomic dnas f ...	2002	12499702
diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using urine samples.	a diagnostic method has been developed to detect anti-leishmania donovani immunoglobulin g (igg) in urine by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). in measuring anti-l. donovani igg, iga, and igm in urine, the method performed best in the detection of igg. the sensitivity and specificity of the assay were determined with panels of urine samples from 62 visceral leishmaniasis (vl) patients, 59 healthy controls from areas of endemicity, 53 healthy controls from areas of nonendemicity, 59 malar ...	2002	12093674
leishmania donovani phosphofructokinase. gene characterization, biochemical properties and structure-modeling studies.	the characterization of the gene encoding leishmania donovani phosphofructokinase (pfk) and the biochemical properties of the expressed enzyme are reported. l. donovani has a single pfk gene copy per haploid genome that encodes a polypeptide with a deduced molecular mass of 53 988 and a pi of 9.26. the predicted amino acid sequence contains a c-terminal tripeptide that conforms to an established signal for glycosome targeting. l. donovani pfk showed most sequence similarity to inorganic pyrophos ...	2002	12180974
the effect of beta-tubulin-specific antisense oligonucleotide encapsulated in different cationic liposomes on the suppression [correction of supression] of intracellular l. donovani parasites in vitro.	an antisense oligonucleotide (20 mer) targeted to the parasite beta-tubulin gene and encapsulated in cationic liposomes, was used to test its antileishmanial activity in vitro. cationic liposomes containing dioleyl trimethyl ammonium propane (dotap) were found to have higher antileishmanial activity (88% at 4 microm oligonucleotide) compared to two other liposomes with stearyl amine (sa) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (ctab) as cations. dot-blot experiments were performed to analyse the ex ...	2002	12097156
peptoid inhibition of trypanothione reductase as a potential antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial drug lead.	one route to the design of lead compounds for rational drug design approaches to developing drugs against trypanosomiasis, chagas' disease and leishmaniasis is to develop novel inhibitors of the parasite-specific enzyme trypanothione reductase. a lead inhibitor based on a peptoid structure was designed in the present study based on the known strong competitive inhibition of trypanothione reductase by n-benzoyl-leu-arg-arg-beta-naphthylamide and n-benzyloxycarbonyl-ala-arg-arg-4-methoxy- beta-nap ...	2002	12107758
effect of ph and temperature on protein kinase release by leishmania donovani.	during their life cycle leishmania are exposed to environments that differ markedly in ph and temperature. the effect of these factors on protein kinase release into the surrounding environment by leishmania donovani promastigotes was examined. promastigotes release protein kinase activity both constitutively and following induction by incubation with an exogenous substrate, phosvitin. the substrate specificity of the constitutive and induced activities was similar, unlike that previously descri ...	2002	12117491
leishmania priming of human dendritic cells for cd40 ligand-induced interleukin-12p70 secretion is strain and species dependent.	a major question in the study of leishmaniasis is what dictates clinical disease expression produced by different leishmania species, i.e., cutaneous versus systemic and healing versus nonhealing. animal models using a leishmania species associated with self-limiting cutaneous disease (l. major) have revealed that protective immunity requires cd40/cd40 ligand (cd40l)-dependent, interleukin-12 (il-12)-driven th1 responses. we recently showed that l. major can prime human dendritic cells (dcs) for ...	2002	12117904
leishmania promastigotes release a granulocyte chemotactic factor and induce interleukin-8 release but inhibit gamma interferon-inducible protein 10 production by neutrophil granulocytes.	recent data from our laboratory suggest that neutrophil granulocytes (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [pmn]) can serve as host cells for leishmania major in the early phase of infection. in line with these findings, an early influx of pmn to the infected tissues was shown by others to be associated with susceptibility to infection with l. major. the mechanisms underlying the initial pmn recruitment to the site of infection is poorly understood. in the present study we investigated whether leishmani ...	2002	12117926
visceral leishmaniasis in two cases of leukemia.	two cases of visceral leishmaniasis (vl), one in a 51-year-old man with accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia and another in a 35-year-old woman with acute myeloblastic leukemia, are reported. incidental finding of leishman-donovan (ld) bodies in patients with leukemia highlights vl as a potent opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed patients.	2002	12118454
cloning, characterization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of leishmania hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase.	hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hgprt) (ec 2.4.2.8) is an important enzyme involved in the recycling of purine nucleotides in all cells. parasitic protozoa of the order kinetoplastida are unable to synthesize purines de novo and use the salvage pathway for the synthesis of nucleotides; therefore, this pathway is an attractive target for antiparasitic drug design. the hgprt gene was cloned from a leishmania tarentolae genomic library and the sequence determined. the l. tarentolae ...	2002	12147338
antileishmanial activity of the antiulcer agent omeprazole.	the benzimidazole compound omeprazole, used widely for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease, inhibits the growth of leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. promastigotes cultured at acidic ph and amastigotes within infected macrophages are reduced 90% or more with 150 microm omeprazole. antiparasitic action of the drug is due to its inhibition of the p-type k(+),h(+)-atpase on the surface membrane. this enzyme is important for ph homeostasis and the maintenance of pr ...	2002	12121934
immunoblot analysis of the humoral immune response to leishmania donovani polypeptides in cases of human visceral leishmaniasis: its usefulness in prognosis.	sera from indian patients with parasitologically confirmed visceral leishmaniasis were studied by immunoblot analysis in order to identify a specific pattern for leishmania infection. a soluble extract of leishmania donovani was used as antigen. at diagnosis the sera from patients with visceral leishmaniasis specifically recognized fractions represented by bands of 201 kda (50% of serum samples), 193 kda (60%), 147 kda (50%), 120 kda (60%), 100 kda (50%), 80 kda (80%), 70 kda (70%), 65 kda (100% ...	2002	12204969
resistance to arsenite modulates expression of beta- and gamma-tubulin and sensitivity to paclitaxel during differentiation of leishmania donovani.	differentiation of leishmania donovani promastigotes into infectious amastigotes is accompanied by differential tubulin gene expression. tubulin is one of the proposed targets of clinically useful antileishmanial agents and its expression is known to alter due to drug resistance. in this study, beta- and gamma-tubulin expression under various stages of differentiation was measured in an in vitro generated arsenite-resistant l. donovani strain. results showed higher constitutive expression of bet ...	2002	12122434
interferon-gamma treatment induces granulomatous tissue reaction in a case of localized cutaneous leishmaniasis.	leishmania spp. suppress macrophage activity as part of their interaction with the immune system. interferon-gamma (ifngamma), a cytokine that participates in the activation of macrophages and the killing of intercellular parasites, induces healing of leishmaniasis. we investigated a sequence of local and systemic inflammatory cell parameters after ifngamma therapy in a patient with chronic, localized, cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by leishmania donovani. histology, immunohistochemistry, polyme ...	2002	12142611
alkaloids from narcissus angustifolius subsp. transcarpathicus (amaryllidaceae).	seven alkaloids have been isolated from fresh bulbs of narcissus angustifolius subsp. transcarpathicus (amaryllidaceae). nangustine, reported here for the first time, is the first 5,11-methanomorphanthridine alkaloid with a c-3/c-4 substitution. the structure and stereochemistry of this new alkaloid, as well as those previously known, have been determined by physical and spectroscopic methods. spectroscopic data of pancracine have been completed. the in vitro assay activity against the parasitic ...	2002	12150811
atropo-enantioselective total synthesis of knipholone and related antiplasmodial phenylanthraquinones.	the "lactone concept" has been efficiently employed for the first atropo-enantioselective synthesis of knipholone and related natural phenylanthraquinones. besides the regio- and stereoselective construction of the biaryl axis, another important step was the "synthetically late" introduction of the c-acetyl group, either by a friedel-crafts type acetylation or by an ortho-selective fries rearrangement first tested on simplified model systems and subsequently applied to the highly atroposelective ...	2002	12153257
hemophagocytic syndrome as the presenting manifestation of visceral leishmaniasis.	hemophagocytosis in visceral leishmaniasis is rare and usually mild. however, presentation as hemophagocytic syndrome is exceptionally rare. we report the case of a 28 years man who presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, reactive histiocytes and severe hemophagocytosis. subsequent investigations revealed he had leishmania donovani infection.	2002	12240858
[nramp1 gene: structure, function, and human infectious diseases].	the human infectious disease become of the great importance for health welfare. the infectious diseases mortality rate reaches one third of total mortality among 51 million patients died annually. the genetic factors seem to be most responsible for potency of human body to withstand to infections, caused by a variety of causative agents. the detection of the coincident factors and understanding the mechanisms of formation of susceptibility and resistance to infectious agents appeared to be impor ...	2002	12243064
flavonoids from tephrosia aequilata.	from the roots of the plant tephrosia aequilata baker, five flavonoids were isolated of which, 3,4:8,9-dimethylenedioxypterocarpan is reported for the first time. its structure and those of the already known flavonoids were established by physical and spectroscopic analysis. application of 2d nmr techniques was useful for complete characterization of the new pterocarpan as well as the other known flavonoids.	2002	12031428
antigenuria in visceral leishmaniasis: detection and partial characterisation of a carbohydrate antigen.	the detection of antigen in the urine is increasingly being used for diagnosis of parasitic infections. a urinary antigen has recently been demonstrated in visceral leishmaniasis (vl), using a latex agglutination test. the results of our study show that the detected antigen is: heat-stable, precipitates with acetone and ethanol but not tca, is sensitive to periodate and acid hydrolysis but not to pronase e, lipase, or neuraminidase. the antigen is a low molecular weight glycoconjugate that can b ...	2002	12039673
charaterization of leishmania major friedlin telomeric terminus.	here we have characterized leishmania major (friedlin) telomeric terminus (the very end) using recombinants obtained by a vector-adaptor cloning protocol. as in l. donovani, the last nine nucleotides of l. major terminus are 5'-ggttagggt-oh 3', differing from trypanosoma cruzi and t. brucei terminus 5'gggttaggg-oh 3', thus indicating that these sequences are genus specific. we have also made a comparative analysis between l. major and l. donovani telomere-associated sequences, and described a no ...	2002	12048562
visceral leishmaniasis in india: promises and pitfalls of a pcr-based blood test.	traditional methods of diagnosing visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in india suffer from a number of disadvantages. amplification of multicopy nuclear genes and messenger ribonucleic acid of leishmania by the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) was evaluated as an alternative assay under various clinical conditions. pcr of peripheral blood has the highest absolute sensitivity among all the available procedures, and is particularly useful for detecting parasites in early infections, post kala-azar d ...	2002	12055835
homologous minicircles in leishmania donovani.	leishmania minicircular deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) is arranged into different classes according to sequence. these classes differ substantially in sequence, despite species- and genus-specific regions, and are present in widely different copy numbers within and between leishmania strains. homologous minicircles have been identified in different species of leishmania by comparing sequences of known minicircles. however, it is possible to select for minicircles of the same class by amplifying lei ...	2002	12055855
antileishmanial dinitroaniline sulfonamides with activity against parasite tubulin.	novel dinitroaniline sulfonamides based on the herbicide oryzalin 3 were synthesized and evaluated for activity against the parasitic protozoan leishmania donovani and against leishmanial tubulin, the putative antiparasitic target of oryzalin. a subset of these compounds possess more activity against both leishmania and the target protein in vitro. compound 20 displays improved potency against leishmanial tubulin and is 13.4-fold more active against l. donovani axenic amastigotes than oryzalin.	2002	12161141
towards a standard battery of microsatellite markers for the analysis of the leishmania donovani complex.	the investigation of microsatellite markers has recently superseded that of isoenzymes for many population-biology applications. microsatellites have the advantages of being dominant, neutral, highly polymorphic and easily scored by high-throughput methods. however, it is necessary to develop a new panel of markers for each group of organisms of interest. previously, only about 5% of the markers that amplify leishmania major microsatellite loci were also found to amplify l. donovani loci. a pane ...	2002	12061973
trypanosoma cruzi heat-shock protein-70 kda,alone or fused to the parasite kmp11 antigen, induces functional maturation of murine dendritic cells.	we analyse the effect of trypanosoma cruzi heat-shock protein-70 (hsp70) on the maturation of murine dendritic cells (dc)generated from bone marrow precursor cells. the results obtained show that hsp70, both alone and fused to the kmp11 antigen, as well as a hsp70 fragment, is capable of maturing murine dc. mature dc have enhanced expression of il12, tnf-alpha cytokines, costimulation molecules and activation markers, showing a clear increase in the allostimulatory capacity. these findings sugge ...	2002	12067411
synthesis of plumbagin derivatives and their inhibitory activities against ehrlich ascites carcinoma in vivo and leishmania donovani promastigotes in vitro.	plumbagin, a plant-derived bioactive naphthoquinonoid compound, was converted to a hydroquinonoid derivative, which was studied for its tumour-inhibitory and antileishmanial activities for the first time. a similar chemical transformation was undertaken on an analogous dimeric compound, diospyrin, and its bioassay results were compared with those of the plumbagin derivative. synthesis of the derivative of plumbagin did not result in a marked enhancement of the tumour-inhibitory activity, whereas ...	2002	11933114
chemokine-induced leishmanicidal activity in murine macrophages via the generation of nitric oxide.	this study explored the role of the proinflammatory chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein (mip)-1alpha and macrophage chemoattractant protein (mcp)-1 for development of antileishmanial activity. there was substantial inhibition in nitrite generation in leishmania donovani-infected macrophages. a marked elevation of nitrite generation and induction of inducible nitric oxide (no) synthase (inos) mrna was found in chemokine-primed parasite-infected macrophages. tumor necrosis factor-alpha, whi ...	2002	12085314
tryparedoxin peroxidase of leishmania donovani: molecular cloning, heterologous expression, specificity, and catalytic mechanism.	tryparedoxin peroxidase (txnpx) of trypanosomatidae is the terminal peroxidase of a complex redox cascade that detoxifies hydroperoxides by nadph (nogoceke et al., biol. chem. 378, 827-836, 1997). a gene putatively coding for a peroxiredoxin-type txnpx was identified in l. donovani and expressed in escherichia coli to yield an n-terminally his-tagged protein (ldh6txnpx). ldh6txnpx proved to be an active peroxidase with tryparedoxin (txn) 1 and 2 of crithidia fasciculata as cosubstrates. ldh6txnp ...	2002	11795890
antileishmanial activities of several classes of aromatic dications.	aromatic dicationic molecules possess impressive activity against a broad spectrum of microbial pathogens, including pneumocystis carinii, cryptosporidium parvum, and candida albicans. in this work, 58 aromatic cations were examined for inhibitory activity against axenic amastigote-like leishmania donovani parasites. in general, the most potent of the compounds were substituted diphenyl furan and thiophene dications. 2,5-bis-(4-amidinophenyl)thiophene was the most active compound. this agent dis ...	2002	11850264
in vivo activities of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase inhibitors against leishmania donovani and toxoplasma gondii.	the in vivo activities of three bisphosphonates were determined against leishmania donovani and toxoplasma gondii. alendronate was essentially inactive against both parasites. pamidronate was active against l. donovani by intravenous administration. risedronate had a 50% effective dosage of five 2.6-mg/kg of body weight intraperitoneal doses against l. donovani-infected mice but was less effective against t. gondii-infected mice.	2002	11850291
s-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase from leishmania donovani. molecular, genetic, and biochemical characterization of null mutants and overproducers.	the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme, s-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (adometdc) has been advanced as a potential target for antiparasitic chemotherapy. to investigate the importance of this protein in a model parasite, the gene encoding adometdc has been cloned and sequenced from leishmania donovani. the delta adometdc null mutants were created in the insect vector form of the parasite by double targeted gene replacement. the delta adometdc strains were incapable of growth in medium without pol ...	2002	11734561
leishmania-induced cellular recruitment during the early inflammatory response: modulation of proinflammatory mediators.	this study investigated whether leishmania species, the etiologic agent of cutaneous (leishmania major) and visceral (leishmania donovani) leishmaniasis, could differentially elicit early inflammatory events in vivo correlating with the subsequent development of their reciprocal pathogenesis. by use of the murine air pouch system, injection of leishmania led to a rapid and transient accumulation of a mixed population of leukocytes, and l. major recruited 31-fold more leukocytes than did controls ...	2002	11865425
combination therapy with indolylquinoline derivative and sodium antimony gluconate cures established visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters.	2-(2"-dichloroacetamidobenzyl)-3-(3'-indolylquinoline), designated indolylquinoline derivative a, reduced the splenic and the liver parasite burdens by >93.0% in leishmania donovani-infected hamsters, whereas sodium antimony gluconate (sag) reduced the burdens approximately 80.0%. complete clearance of parasitemia from the livers and spleens was noticed when infected animals received indolylquinoline derivative a plus sag, suggesting that indolylquinoline derivative a has potential as a new agen ...	2002	11751149
vacuolar type h+ pumping pyrophosphatases of parasitic protozoa.	trans-membrane proton pumping is responsible for a myriad of physiological processes including the generation of proton motive force that drives bioenergetics. among the various proton pumping enzymes, vacuolar pyrophosphatases (v-ppases) form a distinct class of proton pumps, which are characterised by their ability to translocate protons across a membrane by using the potential energy released by hydrolysis of the phosphoanhydride bond of inorganic pyrophosphate. until recently, v-ppases were ...	2002	11796117
the archaeology of apoptosis.		2002	11803368
programmed cell death in the unicellular protozoan parasite leishmania.	in the present study we have demonstrated some features characterizing programmed cell death (pcd) in the unicellular protozoan parasite leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. we report that pcd is initiated in stationary phase cultures of promastigotes and both in actively growing cultures of axenic amastigotes and promastigotes upon treatment with anti leishmanial drugs (pentostam and amphotericin b). however, the two cell types respond to antileishmanial drugs dif ...	2002	11803374
an insight into the active site of a type i dna topoisomerase from the kinetoplastid protozoan leishmania donovani.	dna topoisomerases are ubiquitous enzymes that govern the topological interconversions of dna thereby playing a key role in many aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. recently determined crystal structures of topoisomerase fragments, representing nearly all the known subclasses, have been solved. the type ib enzymes are structurally distinct from other known topoisomerases but are similar to a class of enzymes referred to as tyrosine recombinases. a putative topoisomerase i open reading frame from ...	2002	11809893
angiogenesis inhibitors specific for methionine aminopeptidase 2 as drugs for malaria and leishmaniasis.	methionine aminopeptidase 2 (metap2) is responsible for the hydrolysis of the initiator methionine molecule from the majority of newly synthesized proteins. we have cloned the metap2 gene from the malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum (pfmetap2; genbank accession number af348320). the cloned pfmetap2 has no intron, consists of 1,544 bp and encodes a protein of 354 amino acids with a molecular mass of 40,537 d and an overall base composition of 72.54% a + t. pfmetap2 has 40% sequence identity wi ...	2002	11810023
synthesis of a novel quinoline derivative, 2-(2-methylquinolin-4-ylamino)-n-phenylacetamide--a potential antileishmanial agent.	some novel quinoline derivatives were prepared and tested for antileishmanial activity. 2-(2-methylquinolin-4-ylamino)-n-phenylacetamide (2) was found to be significantly more active than the standard antileishmanial drug sodium antimony gluconate (sag) in reducing the parasite load both in the spleen and liver at a much lower concentration in hamster models. the results suggest that the compound could be exploited as an antileishmanial drug.	2002	11937327
a low-background inducible promoter system in leishmania donovani.	we report here a second-generation tetracycline-responsive repressor-operator system in leishmania donovani. in this system, expression of a reporter luciferase gene (luc) is driven by the inducible leishmania ribosomal rna promoter on the dna strand opposite to a hygromycin resistance gene (hyg) whose expression is driven by the endogenous pol i promoter on chromosome 27 (rdna locus) or the endogenous pol ii promoter on chromosome 35 (ld1 locus). transgenic cell lines showed regulation of luc g ...	2002	11814573
a plasma membrane p-type h(+)-atpase regulates intracellular ph in leishmania mexicana amazonensis.	a recent report (mukherjee et al., j. biol. chem. 276 (2001) 5563) has proposed that the plasma membrane mg(+)-atpase of promastigotes of leishmania donovani, that is involved in its intracellular ph regulation, is an electroneutral h(+)/k(+) antiporter rather than an electrogenic h(+) pump. since this proposition has important implications for the use of the pump as a target for chemotherapy, we investigated its nature in the mammalian stage (amastigote) of l. mexicana amazonensis and compared ...	2002	11814574
genomic organization and functional expression of differentially regulated cysteine protease genes of leishmania donovani complex.	for the first time, we report the genomic organization and characterization of cathepsin l-like cysteine protease gene cluster from the members of leishmania donovani complex. the cysteine protease gene cluster of leishmania chagasi has five copies of tandemly arranged genes. the first gene (ldccys1a) is identical to ldccys1 cdna and is predominantly expressed in promastigotes. the last gene (ldccys1e) is identical to ldccys1a with a 13 amino acids deletion in the mature domain, including one of ...	2002	11814698
design and antileishmanial activity of amphotericin b-loaded stable ionic amphiphile biovector formulations.	a new delivery system, ionic amphiphilic biovector (abv), comprised of anionic lipids (dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl glycerol) included in a cationic cross-linked polysaccharide matrix was used as a reservoir for amphotericin b (amb). two abv formulations exhibited an in vitro and in vivo efficacy similar to commercial ambisome against leishmania donovani-infected mice. the higher stability of these abv formulations indicates their potential for further development and applications.	2002	11959611
epidemiology and clinical manifestations of leishmania donovani infection in two villages in an endemic area in eastern sudan.	we conducted a longitudinal study in an endemic area for visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in eastern sudan to compare the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of leishmania donovani infection in two populations differing in ethnic background and duration of residence in the area. the study took place in two villages from april 1994 to april 1996. in um-salala village, which is inhabited by members of the masaleet tribe, half of the villagers had previous exposure to cutaneous leishmaniasis (leishmaria ...	2002	11851953
kala azar associated with malaria.		2002	11860324
evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis with crude or recombinant k39 antigen.	the diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (pkdl), a dermatosis that provides the only known reservoir for the parasite leishmania donovani in india, remains a problem. timely recognition and treatment of pkdl would contribute significantly to the control of kala-azar. we evaluated here the potential of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) as a diagnostic tool for pkdl. antigen prepared from promastigotes and axenic amastigotes with parasite isolates that were derived from ski ...	2002	11874880
molecular dissection of the functional domains of a unique, tartrate-resistant, surface membrane acid phosphatase in the primitive human pathogen leishmania donovani.	the primitive trypanosomatid pathogen of humans, leishmania donovani, constitutively expresses a unique externally oriented, tartrate-resistant, acid phosphatase on its surface membrane. this is of interest because these organisms are obligate intracellular protozoan parasites that reside and multiply within the hydrolytic milieu of mammalian macrophage phago-lysosomes. here we report the identification of the gene encoding this novel l. donovani enzyme. in addition, we characterized its structu ...	2002	11882658
specific recognition and cleavage of galectin-3 by leishmania major through species-specific polygalactose epitope.	lipophosphoglycan is a major surface molecule of leishmania, protozoa parasites, which are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a disease that annually afflicts millions of people worldwide. the oligosaccharide structures of lipophosphoglycan varies among species, and epitopes of these species-specific oligosaccharides are suggested to be implicated in the interaction of leishmania with macrophages as well as species-specific tissue tropism observed in leishmaniasis. the recognition of the spe ...	2002	11882664
bacopasaponin c: critical evaluation of anti-leishmanial properties in various delivery modes.	bacopasaponin c, an indigenous glycoside, was isolated from indian medicinal plant bacopa monniera (b. brahmi) and was tested for antileishmanial properties both in free and in various delivery modes, e.g., niosomes, microspheres, and nanoparticles that are used now as alternatives to more commonly used liposomes. the different vesicles were prepared by published protocols. the percent intercalation of bacopasaponin c in liposomes, niosomes, and micropspheres determined at its absorption maximal ...	2002	11839209
high affinity binding between laminin and laminin binding protein of leishmania is stimulated by zinc and may involve laminin zinc-finger like sequences.	in the course of trying to understand the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis in relation to extracellular matrix (ecm) elements, laminin, a major ecm protein, has been found to bind saturably and with high affinity to a 67-kda cell surface protein of leishmania donovani. this interaction involves a single class of binding sites, which are ionic in nature, conformation-dependent and possibly involves sulfhydryls. binding activity was significantly enhanced by zn2+, an effect possibly mediated through ...	2002	11895432
nucleoside hydrolase from leishmania (l.) donovani is an antigen diagnostic for visceral leishmaniasis.		2002	11897139
molecular probes and the polymerase chain reaction for detection and typing of leishmania species in mexico.	leishmaniasis in mexico is a public health problem because all the clinical forms have been recorded in most mexican states. we studied patients showing clinical symptoms of any form of leishmaniasis, from several endemic areas. bone marrow samples, aspirates or skin biopsies were taken and deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) was extracted and amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) with universal primers ajs1 and deb8, specific for the leishmania subgenus leishmania. the pcr products were then ...	2002	12055821
kinetic mechanism of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase from leishmania donovani.	adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (aprt, ec 2.4.2.7) catalyzes the reversible phosphoribosylation of adenine from alpha-d-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (prpp) to form amp and pp(i). three-dimensional structures of the dimeric aprt enzyme from leishmania donovani (ldaprt) bear many similarities to other members of the type 1 phosphoribosyltransferase family but do not reveal the structural basis for catalysis (phillips, c. l., ullman, b., brennan, r. g., and hill, c. p. (1999) embo j. 18, 3533 ...	2002	11900545
transplasma membrane electron transport in leishmania donovani promastigotes.	leishmania donovani promastigotes are capable of reducing certain electron acceptors with redox potential at ph 7 down to -125 mv; outside the plasma membrane promastigotes can reduce ferricyanide. ferricyanide has been used as an artificial electron acceptor probe for studying the mechanism of transplasma membrane electron transport. transmembrane ferricyanide reduction by l. donovani promastigotes was not inhibited by such mitochondrial inhibitors as antimycin a or cyanide, but it responded to ...	2002	11908895
expression of biopterin transporter (bt1) protein in leishmania.	the present work focuses on the growth phase regulated expression of biopterin transporter gene (bt1) from the ld1 locus on chromosome 35 of leishmania donovani. antiserum against recombinant bt1 detected a polypeptide of 45 kda of equal intensity at lag, log and stationary phases of promastigote growth, both in l. donovani strain lsb-7.1 (mhom/bl/67/itmap263), and strain lsb-146.1 (hom/ir/95/x81), a natural isolate from isfehan, iran that caused cutaneous leishmaniasis. however, in both these s ...	2002	11934499
klaivanolide, an antiprotozoal lactone from uvaria klaineana.	bioguided-fractionation of a ch(2)cl(2) extract of the stems of uvaria klaineana (annonaceae) led to isolation of klaivanolide, a novel bisunsaturated 7-membered lactone (5-acetoxy-7-benzoyloxymethyl-7h-oxepin-2-one), together with benzyl benzoate. klaivanolide showed potent in vitro antileishmanial activity against both sensitive and amphotericin b-resistant promastigote forms of leishmania donovani with ic(50) values of 1.75 and 3.12 microm, respectively. the compound also showed in vitro tryp ...	2002	11937171
analysis of stereoelectronic properties, mechanism of action and pharmacophore of synthetic indolo[2,1-b]quinazoline-6,12-dione derivatives in relation to antileishmanial activity using quantum chemical, cyclic voltammetry and 3-d-qsar catalyst procedures.	several indolo[2,1-b]quinazoline-6,12-dione (tryptanthrin) derivatives exhibited remarkable activity at concentrations below 100 ng/ml when tested against in vitro leishmania donovani amastigotes. the in vitro toxicity studies indicate that the compounds are fairly well tolerated in both macrophage and neuronal lines. an analysis based on qualitative and quantitative structure-activity relationship studies between in vitro antileishmanial activity and molecular electronic structure of 27 analogu ...	2002	11937358
in vitro and in vivo activities of three acridine thioethers against leishmania donovani.	the lack of definitive chemotherapeutic agents to fight against visceral leishmaniasis has lead to the testing of numerous compounds. in the present work, we carry out an in-depth study of the activity against leishmania donovani of three acridine derivatives both in vitro and in vivo. these compounds have proven to be highly effective at medium and high concentrations of 10 microg/ml, against both flagellate and nonflagellate forms of the parasite, which, though obtained in vitro, closely resem ...	2002	11937777
cutaneous involvement in a rare case of adult visceral leishmaniasis acquired in israel.	skin lesions are rare in visceral leishmaniasis, especially in mediterranean countries. we describe an unusual case of visceral leishmaniasis in a 41-year-old man that began with a skin lesion. the parasites isolated from both the skin lesion and the bone marrow were typed as leishmania donovani sensu stricto. this pathogen is not endemic in israel or neighboring countries; its contribution to adult visceral leishmaniasis in israel is summarized.	2002	12099746
functional aspects of the leishmania donovani lipophosphoglycan during macrophage infection.	the most abundant surface glycoconjugate of the leishmania promastigotes is lipophosphoglycan, a glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol-anchored polymer of the repeating disaccharide-phosphate gal(beta1,4)manalpha1-po4 unit. this complex molecule possesses properties that contribute to the ability of leishmania to modulate macrophage signaling pathways during the initiation of infection.	2002	12106791