| susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis in the domestic dog is associated with mhc class ii polymorphism. | zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a disease of dogs, humans and other animals caused by the intracellular macrophage parasite leishmania infantum. we examined the relationship between dla class ii alleles ( drb1, dqa1, dqb1) and the course of infection in a cohort of brazilian mongrel dogs exposed to natural l. infantum infection. dla alleles were typed by sequence-based typing. dla-drb1 genotype was significantly associated with levels of anti- leishmania igg and parasite status assessed ... | 2003 | 12715244 |
| [childhood mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis]. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is endemic in areas bordering the mediterranean sea (spain, italy, france, greece, morocco, tunisia) where it is caused by leishmania infantum and it is transmitted by the bite of hematophagous sandfly belonging to phlebotomus spp.; dog constitutes the main reservoir of the infection. in comparison with the past, when vl was typically observed more frequently in children, the current ratio of childhood to adult cases is approximately 1:1. the onset of the disease is c ... | 2003 | 12719664 |
| leishmania mexicana and leishmania major: attenuation of wild-type parasites and vaccination with the attenuated lines. | a method for attenuation of leishmania species by culturing in vitro under gentamicin pressure has been used successfully with leishmania mexicana, l. major, l. infantum, and l. donovani. the attenuated lines invaded but were unable to survive within bone marrow-derived macrophages in vitro, whereas wild-type parasites survived and multiplied. the attenuated lines of l. mexicana and l. major both failed to induce cutaneous lesions in the majority of balb/c mice over a minimum 12-week observation ... | 2003 | 12721947 |
| a novel leishmania infantum nuclear phosphoprotein lepp12 which stimulates il1-beta synthesis in thp-1 transfectants. | we report cloning and characterization of a novel leishmania infantum protein which we termed lepp12, and we examine its possible implication in the interference with intramacrophage signaling pathways. | 2003 | 12723992 |
| leishmania tropica in the black rat (rattus rattus): persistence and transmission from asymptomatic host to sand fly vector phlebotomus sergenti. | black rats (rattus rattus) receiving leishmania tropica injected intradermally into the ear were studied for the persistence of parasites and infectivity to natural sand fly vector. the mammalian host, the parasite, and the vector all originated from the endemic focus of urfa, turkey. rats did not develop lesions or any apparent signs of disease, although at the site of inoculation they harboured live parasites capable of infecting sand flies. the number of l. tropica amastigotes detected in the ... | 2003 | 12737990 |
| protection in dogs against visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum is achieved by immunization with a heterologous prime-boost regime using dna and vaccinia recombinant vectors expressing lack. | a heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime with dna and recombinant vaccinia virus (rvv) vectors expressing relevant antigens has been shown to enhance specific cellular immune responses and to elicit protection against a variety of pathogens in animal models. in this paper, we describe the effectiveness of the prime-boost strategy by immunizing dogs with a plasmid carrying the gene for the lack antigen from leishmania infantum (dna-lack) followed by a booster with a rvv containing the same g ... | 2003 | 12744881 |
| cutaneous leishmaniosis in three horses in spain. | | 2003 | 12755438 |
| 1,4-dihydroxy-2,3-dioxatricyclo[8.4.0.0(4,9)]tetradecane and derivatives with in vitro activity against plasmodium falciparum, trypanasoma b brucei, trypanasoma cruzi, and leishmaniasis infantum. | 1,4-dihydroxy-2,3-dioxatricyclo[8.4.0.0(4,9)]tetradecane and derivatives have been synthesised and their in vitro activity against plasmodium falciparum (malaria) ghana, trypanasoma b brucei (sleeping sickness) tb-1, and trypanasoma cruzi (chagas' disease) tc-1, and leishmaniasis infantum (leishmaniasis) l1 parasite strains has been assessed. | 2003 | 12781185 |
| n-ferrocenylmethyl, n'-methyl-2-substituted benzimidazolium iodide salts with in vitro activity against the leishmania infantum parasite strain l1. | herein, we disclose results of our research into a class of benzimidazolium compounds active against the leishmania infantum parasite strain l1. we have discovered that n-ferrocenylmethyl, n'-methyl-2-aryl (or styryl) benzimidazolium iodide salts show in vitro activity against this strain. | 2003 | 12781186 |
| the overexpression of a new abc transporter in leishmania is related to phospholipid trafficking and reduced infectivity. | this paper reports the characterization of a new abc transporter (ltrabc1.1), related to the human abca subfamily, in the protozoan parasite leishmania tropica. ltrabc1.1 is a tandem duplicated gene flanked by inverted repeats. ltrabc1.1 is expressed mainly in the flagellar pocket of the parasite. drug resistance studies in leishmania overexpressing ltrabc1.1 showed the transporter not to confer resistance to a range of unrelated drugs. ltrabc1.1 appears to be involved in lipid movements across ... | 2003 | 12787938 |
| rapid transport of phospholipids across the plasma membrane of leishmania infantum. | the internalization of fluorescent phospholipid analogs of phosphatidylcholine (pc), phosphatidylethanolamine (pe), phosphatidylserine (ps), and sphingomyelin (sm) in leishmania infantum promastigotes was studied. we observed a rapid inward redistribution of nbd-pc, -pe, and -ps across the plasma membrane at 28 and 4 degrees c. this internalization was shown to be independent of the endocytic activity of parasites. rapid inward movement was coupled to an energy-dependent transporter because it w ... | 2003 | 12788096 |
| localized mucosal leishmaniasis due to leishmania (leishmania) infantum: clinical and microbiologic findings in 31 patients. | the clinical and microbiologic characteristics of 31 patients with mucosal leishmaniasis due to leishmania (leishmania) infantum are described. twenty-eight (90%) patients were male. mean age at presentation was 48 +/- 14 years. thirteen (42%) patients had no underlying disease, while 18 (58%) patients had several other medical conditions. fifteen (48%) patients were immunocompromised, 7 patients were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), and 3 were graft recipients. the primary loca ... | 2003 | 12792301 |
| [leishmaniasis]. | | 2003 | 12793036 |
| genomic polymorphism of leishmania infantum: a relationship with clinical pleomorphism? | leishmania infantum is the etiological agent of visceral (vl) and a cutaneous form (cl) of leishmaniasis around the mediterranean basin. in order to document the parasite genetic background corresponding to this clinical diversity, chromosome size polymorphism was analysed in 32 french isolates (18 cl and 14 vl) originating from the cévennes and the pyrénées orientales (po), and corresponding to zymodemes mon-1 and mon-29. five chromosomes bearing tandemly repeated genes encoding for important a ... | 2001 | 12798050 |
| the origin and evolution of the leishmania donovani complex as inferred from a mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase ii gene sequence. | members of the leishmania donovani complex are parasites of the reticulo-endothelial system that are often associated with serious epidemics of a life threatening disease known as visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar. twenty-two leishmania isolates representative of the geographical range of the parasite were analysed for sequence variations in their cytochrome oxidase ii gene. in performing phylogenetic analysis, the maximum parsimonious, neighbour joining and maximum likelihood trees were congr ... | 2001 | 12798051 |
| therapeutic evaluation of free and nanocapsule-encapsulated atovaquone in the treatment of murine visceral leishmaniasis. | the activities of free atovaquone (atv) and of poly(d,l-lactide) nanocapsules loaded with the drug, in the treatment of mice with visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum, were compared. each mouse was infected intravenously with 2x10(7) promastigotes, on day 0. on days 15, 17 and 19, most of the infected mice were treated either with free atv, in a dimethylsulphoxide/cremophor/water mixture, or with the atv-loaded nanocapsules (at, respectively, 0.2-1.6 and 0.125-1.0 mg atv/kg, on e ... | 2003 | 12803857 |
| experimental canine leishmaniasis: evolution of infection following re-challenge with leishmania infantum. | the aim of the study was to assess the clinical, parasitological and immunological effect of a second inoculation of amastigotes in dogs previously inoculated with leishmania infantum. three dogs primarily inoculated with amastigotes (group i) and four with cultured virulent stationary phase promastigotes (group ii) were afterwards re-inoculated with 2x10(9) amastigotes per kg. three other groups of dogs were used as controls: group iii was infected only once with amastigotes, group iv only once ... | 2003 | 12826299 |
| comparison of the a2 gene locus in leishmania donovani and leishmania major and its control over cutaneous infection. | in old world leishmania infections, leishmania donovani is responsible for fatal visceral leishmaniasis, and l. major is responsible for non-fatal cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. the genetic differences between these species which govern the pathology or site of infection are not known. we have therefore carried out detailed analysis of the a2 loci in l. major and l. donovani because a2 is expressed in l. donovani but not l. major, and a2 is required for survival in visceral organs by l. dono ... | 2003 | 12829719 |
| risk of infection with leishmania spp. in the canine population in the netherlands. | the dog is the main reservoir of leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in humans in southern europe. in order to identify the risk of dogs from a leishmania non-endemic area traveling to a leishmania-endemic area becoming infected and the risk of transmitting infection to humans in non-endemic areas an investigation was performed, in which the results of a questionnaire were combined with the results of a serologic survey. the questionnaire was sent to 1478 at r ... | 2002 | 12831172 |
| [leishmania infantum mon-1: the only zymodeme isolated in canine leishmaniasis in tunisia]. | iso-enzymatic characterization of 19 leishmania strains isolated from tunisian dogs revealed that all correspond to leishmania infantum mon-1. this confirms the role of dog as a reservoir of the commonest zymodeme responsible for human visceral leishmaniasis in the mediterranean basin. however, and in spite of the high number of identifications, many zymodemes, mainly the dermotropic ones as leishmania infantum mon-24, frequently reported in humans, had never been isolated from dogs. the study o ... | 2003 | 12836518 |
| evidences for inos expression and nitric oxide production in the human macrophages. | nitric oxide (no) is a pleiotropic mediator of numerous biological processes, including smooth muscle relaxation, neurotransmission and defence against pathogens. in addition, no is involved in the pathogenesis and control of inflammation, tumors, autoimmunity, and infectious and chronic degenerative diseases. no, a highly reactive radical, is produced from l-arginine and oxygen by the enzyme no synthase (nos). three nos isoforms have been identified: two distinct nos isoforms are constitutively ... | 2003 | 12871028 |
| expression of cysteine proteinase type i and ii of leishmania infantum and their recognition by sera during canine and human visceral leishmaniasis. | in this study, the mature domains of type i (cpb) and type ii (cpa) cysteine proteinases (cps) of leishmania infantum were expressed and their immunogenic properties defined using sera from active and recovered cases of human visceral leishmaniasis and sera from infected dogs. immunoblotting and elisa analysis indicated that a freeze/thaw extract of parasite antigens showed similar and intensive recognition in both active cases of human and dog sera but lower recognition in recovered human indiv ... | 2003 | 12880591 |
| selection of aptamers against kmp-11 using colloidal gold during the selex process. | selex procedure is a methodology in which single stranded oligonucleotides are selected from a wide variety of sequences based on their interaction with a target molecule. we have designed a novel selex methodology using colloidal gold to select high affinity single stranded dna aptamers against leishmania infantum kmp-11. kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (kmp-11) is a major component of the cell membrane of kinetoplastid parasites. although its function is not known, the fact that kmp-11 is a ... | 2003 | 12901856 |
| cloning, functional analysis and post-transcriptional regulation of a type ii dna topoisomerase from leishmania infantum. a new potential target for anti-parasite drugs. | we identified a type ii topoisomerase enzyme from leishmania infantum, a parasite protozoon causing disease in humans. this protein, named li topo ii, which displays a variable c-terminal end, is located in the kinetoplast. the cloned gene encoding li-top2 compensates for the slow growth of topo ii-deficient mutants of saccharomyces cerevisiae, resulting in a catalytically active dna topoisomerase in yeast. analysis of the specific mrna levels of the li-top2 gene showed variations throughout the ... | 2003 | 12907735 |
| [visceral leishmaniasis]. | leishmanioses are widespread in 88 countries of the tropical and subtropical zone, including regions of the mediterranean sea basin of southern europe. actually, approximately 350 million of people live in leishmania endemic areas and about 12 million of individuals are infected. visceral leishmaniosis (kala-azar disease, tropical splenomegaly) is caused by at least 3 species of leishmania protozoa: l. donovani, l. infantum and l. chagasi. the incidence of the disease is estimated at 500,000 new ... | 2003 | 12910604 |
| serum concentrations of acute-phase proteins in dogs with leishmaniosis during short-term treatment. | to evaluate changes in serum concentrations of acute-phase proteins in dogs with leishmaniosis during short-term therapy in accordance with 2 treatment protocols and determine whether concentrations of acute-phase proteins could be used to monitor the initial response of dogs to treatment. | 2003 | 12926596 |
| antileishmanial activities of dihydrochalcones from piper elongatum and synthetic related compounds. structural requirements for activity. | two dihydrochalcones (1 and 2) were isolated from piper elongatum vahl by activity-guided fractionation against extracellular promastigotes of leishmania braziliensis in vitro. their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis, including homonuclear and heteronuclear correlation nmr experiments. derivatives 3-7 and 20 synthetic related compounds (8-27) were also assayed to establish the structural requirements for antileishmanial activity. compounds 1-11 that proved to be more active that ke ... | 2003 | 12927858 |
| [visceral leishmaniasis as a rare cause of a fever of unknown origin associated with splenomegaly]. | we present a case of a 22-year-old man admitted to the hospital because of prolonged fever associated with splenomegaly. during the previous 2 years the patient spent several months as a manual worker in the south of italy. manifestations of the disease included progressive weight loss, hyperhydrosis, biphasic fever, marked splenomegaly and slightly enlarged liver. results of laboratory examination showed thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, hypergammaglobulinemia and features of hepatic lesions. a bon ... | 2003 | 12931491 |
| synthesis and antileishmanial activity of new imidazolidin-2-one derivatives. | n(3)-acyl, arylsulfonyl and benzyl derivatives of n(1)-(4,6-dimethylpyridin-2-yl), (5-methylthiazol-2-yl) or (3-methylisoxazol-5-yl)imidazolidin-2-ones were synthesized and evaluated as potential antileishmanial agents. determination of their cytotoxic effect was carried out using mrc5 cells. two compounds, 1-(4,6-dimethylpyridin-2-yl)-3-(napht-2-ylsulfonyl)imidazolidin-2-one, 18, and 1-(3-methylisoxazol-5-yl)-3-(4-bromobenzyl)imidazo-lidin-2-one, 25, exerted significant antileishmanial activity ... | 2003 | 12932902 |
| pharmacokinetics, toxicities, and efficacies of sodium stibogluconate formulations after intravenous administration in animals. | the pharmacokinetics and toxicities of free sodium stibogluconate (ssg) and two vesicular formulations of this drug (a nonionic surfactant vesicular formulation of ssg [ssg-niv] and ssg-niv-dextran) were determined after treatment with a single intravenous dose in healthy dogs and were related to their antileishmanial efficacies in mice. analysis of the curves of the concentrations in plasma after intravenous administration of ssg and ssg-niv in dogs showed that both formulations produced simila ... | 2003 | 12936974 |
| reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction construction of plasmid-based, full-length cdna libraries from leishmania infantum for in vitro expression screening. | we describe a streamlined reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction methodology for constructing full-length cdna libraries of trypanosomatids on the basis of conserved sequences located at the 5' and 3'ends of trans-spliced mrnas. the amplified cdna corresponded to full-length messengers and was amenable to in vitro expression. fractionated libraries could be rapidly constructed in a plasmid vector by the ta cloning method (invitrogen). we believe this is useful when there are concerns ov ... | 2003 | 12937757 |
| phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) of the palestinian west bank: potential vectors of leishmaniasis. | two forms of leishmaniasis are endemic to the jenin district in the northern region of the west bank. visceral leishmaniasis (vl), caused by leishmania infantum, mainly affects infants. cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) affects a broader age group and is probably caused by l. tropica. although the jenin district is the most important focus of leishmaniasis in the west bank, the sand fly fauna of the area has never been studied in a systematic manner. we collected base-line data on sand fly species, t ... | 2003 | 12943111 |
| high-efficiency plating method for leishmania infantum. | | 2003 | 12946851 |
| leishmania infantum possesses a complex family of histone h2a genes: structural characterization and analysis of expression. | we have studied the genomic organization and transcription of the histone h2a genes in the protozoan parasite leishmania infantum. in the parasite genome 2 gene clusters exist, each containing 3 h2a gene copies. sequence analyses showed the existence of significant sequence divergence among the h2a genes, mainly in their 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions (utrs). also, the existence of allelic alternatives has been evidenced. based on the divergence in the 3'utr regions, we have defined 3 classes o ... | 2003 | 12954010 |
| development and evaluation of a seminested pcr for detection and differentiation of babesia gibsoni (asian genotype) and b. canis dna in canine blood samples. | canine babesiosis has recently been recognized as an emerging infectious disease of dogs in north america. we sought to develop a seminested pcr to detect and differentiate babesia gibsoni (asian genotype), b. canis subsp. vogeli, b. canis subsp. canis, and b. canis subsp. rossi dna in canine blood samples. an outer primer pair was designed to amplify an approximately 340-bp fragment of the 18s rrna genes from b. gibsoni (asian genotype), b. canis subsp. vogeli, b. canis subsp. rossi, and b. can ... | 2003 | 12958243 |
| catalytic properties of cysteine proteinases from trypanosoma cruzi and leishmania infantum: a pre-steady-state and steady-state study. | cysteine proteinases are relevant to several aspects of the parasite life cycle and of parasite-host relationship. moreover, they appear as promising targets for antiparasite chemotherapy. here, the first quantitative investigation on the steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetics of the papain-like cysteine proteinases from epimastigotes of trypanosoma cruzi (cruzipain), the agent of chagas' disease, and from promastigotes of leishmania infantum, an agent of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases ... | 2003 | 12963041 |
| two separate growth phases during the development of leishmania in sand flies: implications for understanding the life cycle. | the life cycle of leishmania alternates between two main morphological forms: intracellular amastigotes in the mammalian host and motile promastigotes in the sand fly vector. several different forms of promastigote have been described in sandfly infections, the best known of these being metacyclic promastigotes, the mammal-infective stages. here we provide evidence that for leishmania (leishmania) mexicana and leishmania (leishmania) infantum (syn. chagasi) there are two separate, consecutive gr ... | 2003 | 13129524 |
| iron superoxide dismutases targeted to the glycosomes of leishmania chagasi are important for survival. | kinetoplastid glycosomes contain a variety of metabolic activities, such as glycolysis, beta-oxidation of fatty acids, lipid biosynthesis, and purine salvage. one advantage of sequestering metabolic activities is the avoidance of cellular oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species produced as a by-product of metabolism. little is known about how glycosomes themselves withstand these toxic metabolites. we previously isolated an iron superoxide dismutase from leishmania chagasi that is expressed ... | 2003 | 14500512 |
| host preferences of phlebotomine sand flies at a hypoendemic focus of canine leishmaniasis in central italy. | a survey was carried out on phlebotomine sand flies and their feeding habits at a hypoendemic focus of leishmania infantum in macerata province, central italy. during two consecutive years (2000-2001), 1465 sand fly specimens (42.5% of which were males) were collected from a variety of diurnal resting sites in the municipality of camerino. the most prevalent species was phlebotomus perniciosus (76.6%), followed by p. papatasi (10.4%), sergentomyia minuta (9.1%), phlebotomus perfiliewi (3.3%) and ... | 2003 | 14516922 |
| lactating females syrian hamster (mesocricetus auratus) show protection against experimental leishmania infantum infection. | the syrian hamster (mesocricetus auratus) is the best animal model for human leishmaniosis, an emergent disease that causes 400,000 new cases every year. the main objective of this assay was to prove the relationship between female lactation, which implies hyperprolactinaemia (ifn-gamma, il-12, il-2 and tnf-alpha elevated), and leishmaniosis (ifn-gamma, il-12, il-2 and tnf-alpha diminished). the results demonstrate the clear implication of lactation in immune response. the infected lactating fem ... | 2003 | 14519328 |
| identification of a gene in leishmania infantum encoding a protein that contains a sp-ring/miz zinc finger domain. | the sp-ring or miz zinc finger domain that is related to the classical ring-finger motif, defines a class of proteins that can act as e3-like factors in the pathway of small ubiquitin-related modifier (sumo) conjugation. this family includes the mammalian protein inhibitor of activated stat (pias) proteins and related proteins from lower eukaryotes. here we report the existence of a gene in leishmania infantum, present as two identical copies placed upstream of each mat2 gene copy, and transcrib ... | 2003 | 14522079 |
| canine leishmaniasis in the newborn puppy. | | 2003 | 14535518 |
| visceral leishmaniasis in eastern sudan: parasite identification in humans and dogs; host-parasite relationships. | in 1996, an epidemic outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) started in barbar el fugara, a village in gedarif state (eastern sudan). from 1997 to 2000, regular epidemiological studies were carried out in the human population, as well as in mammals and sand flies. in symptomatic patients, 46/69 lymph node, 6/20 post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (pkdl) and 1/4 cutaneous cultures in nnn medium were positive. in 69 dogs, 23/79 lymph node cultures were positive. in other mammals (47 rodents, five ... | 2003 | 14554251 |
| immunostaining of visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum using monoclonal antibody (19-11) to the leishmania homologue of receptors for activated c-kinase. | it sometimes is difficult to diagnose leishmaniasis in tissue sections or in smears, particularly in unusual sites or if few parasites are present in the lesion. leishmania species must be differentiated morphologically from a variety of other microorganisms, including toxoplasma gondii, histoplasma capsulatum, trypanosoma cruzi, and penicillium marneffei. we tested the value of monoclonal antibody p19-11 raised against the leishmania homologue of receptors for activated c-kinase (lack) as an im ... | 2003 | 14560568 |
| the leishmania infantum acidic ribosomal protein p0 administered as a dna vaccine confers protective immunity to leishmania major infection in balb/c mice. | in this study, we examined the immunogenic properties of the leishmania infantum acidic ribosomal protein p0 (lip0) in the balb/c mouse model. the humoral and cellular responses induced by the administration of the lip0 antigen, either as soluble recombinant lip0 (rlip0) or as a plasmid dna formulation (pcdna3-lip0), were determined. also, the immunological response associated with a prime-boost strategy, consisting of immunization with pcdna3-lip0 followed by a boost with rlip0, was assayed. im ... | 2003 | 14573678 |
| [leishmaniasis in algiers: epidemiologic data]. | the authors review the situation on human and canine leishmaniasis observed in algiers during the period 1990-1997. 1800 sera have been tested by ifat. the frequency of canine leishmaniasis rises to 37%. 25% of the positive dogs are asymptomatic. the canine leishmaniasis annual fluctuations seem to vary from one year to another, with an increase of number of cases comparing with the last period. human leishmaniasis is also increasing in algiers, where 22 cases of hvl and 40 cases cl have been no ... | 2003 | 14582298 |
| prokaryotic expression and antigenic characterization of three recombinant leishmania antigens for serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. | three recombinant antigens of leishmania chagasi (= l. infantum) were expressed in prokaryotic systems and evaluated (using a panel of dog sera characterized by parasitological and serological immunofluorescent antibody test [ifat] techniques) as diagnostic markers of infection. the whole open reading frame encoding k9, the gene fragment encoding the repetitive sequence of k26, and the 3'-terminal gene fragment encoding a single 39-amino-acid subunit of the kinesin-related protein k39 (k39sub) w ... | 2003 | 14607883 |
| canine transmissible venereal tumour parasitized by leishmania infantum. | | 2003 | 14609266 |
| antiparasitic activity of highly conjugated pyrimidine-2,4-dione derivatives. | 4-[2-(1,3-dimethyl-5-nitro-2,6-dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-4-yl)vinyl]benzaldehyde was synthesized in four steps from 6-methyl-1h,3h-pyrimidine-2,4-dione. this aldehyde was functionalized by various substituted anilines or substituted benzylamines. antiparasitic activities of the corresponding azomethines were assessed against plasmodium falciparum, trichomonas vaginalis and leishmania infantum compared to their toxicity versus human cells. | 2003 | 14630237 |
| 5ht1a serotonin receptor agonists inhibit plasmodium falciparum by blocking a membrane channel. | to identify new leads for the treatment of plasmodium falciparum malaria, we screened a panel of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5ht]) receptor agonists and antagonists and determined their effects on parasite growth. the 5ht1a receptor agonists 8-hydroxy-n-(di-n-propyl)-aminotetralin (8-oh-dpat), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenylethylamine inhibited the growth of p. falciparum in vitro (50% inhibitory concentrations, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.5 microm, respectively). in fur ... | 2003 | 14638487 |
| leishmania infantum species-specific kdna probes: isolation and evaluation. | the study refers to the isolation of specific dna probes to the parasite species leishmania (l) infantum according to different strategies using recombinant minicircles isolated from l. infantum kinetoplast dnas. a first probe was identified following a classical procedure. one mini-circle selected for strong reactivity to l. infantum total dna was used to identify specific subfragments to this species among which the 95bp fragment, 3b8haeiii-2 was selected. for the obtention of the second probe ... | 2000 | 14658226 |
| [evaluation of two dna probes specific for leishmania infantum in the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis]. | this study reports on the evaluation of two l. infantum specific dna probes for the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. the probes presented very satisfying performances in terms of specificity (100%) and predictive value of the positive result (100%). however, their sensitivity (35.3%) and the clinical complexity of canine infections render their use difficult in epidemiological surveys of visceral leishmaniasis aiming at measuring the prevalence of the dog infection by l. infantum. the sensitiv ... | 2001 | 14658233 |
| [concordance of leishmaniasis cutaneous tests in tunisia]. | a cross sectional study aimed to evaluate the effect of antigenic preparation (leishmania infantum versus leishmania major) and dose of leishmania antigens (5 x 10(6) versus 2.5 x 10(6) parasites in the same volume) on the reproducibility of delayed type hypersensitivity leishmania skin test. results showed that among 34 individuals involved from visceral leishmaniasis endemic area. 26 (76.5%) had a positif leishmania infantum leishmania (l-l. infantum) test and 27 (79.4%) to leishmania major le ... | 2001 | 14658234 |
| hiv and the transmission of leishmania. | in many countries, leishmania/hiv co-infection is now changing the epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis. the levels of transmission of the parasites causing such leishmaniasis were previously dependent on the conventional zoonotic cycle, in which sandflies transmitted the parasites from infected canids to other canids or humans. the co-infection, however, has led not only to marked increases in the sandfly transmission of the parasites from immunodepressed individuals directly to other humans ... | 2003 | 14678631 |
| enzymatic polymorphism during leishmania/hiv co-infection: a study of 381 leishmania strains received between 1986 and 2000 at the international cryobank in montpellier, france. | between 1986 and 2000, 381 leishmania strains isolated from 288 hiv-positive patients were studied at the international cryobank in montpellier, france. most (95.1%) of the strains came from cases of visceral leishmaniasis but 4.9% were from hiv-positives with cutaneous leishmaniasis. the majority of the strains came from patients infected in the mediterranean region, with a few originating in sub-saharan africa and south america. isoenzymatic characterization revealed 28 zymodemes in four diffe ... | 2003 | 14678632 |
| iso-enzymatic variability of leishmania infantum in spain. | in many areas of the mediterranean basin, leishmaniasis can now be found in hiv-positive individuals. such cases of leishmania/hiv co-infection are relatively common in southern europe, spain being the country that has reported the greatest number. since 1984, 359 spanish isolates of leishmania infantum have been characterized at the instituto de salud carlos iii in madrid. most (94.6%) of the isolates came from hiv-positive patients. the results of iso-enzymatic analysis indicated a high level ... | 2003 | 14678633 |
| the identification and variability of the parasites causing leishmaniasis in hiv-positive patients in italy. | between 1988 and 1998, 258 leishmania strains from patients infected with hiv were characterized by iso-enzyme electrophoresis at the istituto superiore di sanità (iss) in rome. most (227) of the isolates came from 80 italian patients with visceral leishmaniasis (vl), the rest from cases of leishmania/hiv co-infection in other mediterranean countries. every strain was found to be leishmania infantum. in italy, 19 zymodemes of l. infantum were identified, broadly divided into three groups. over 5 ... | 2003 | 14678634 |
| histological and immunohistochemical study of clinically normal skin of leishmania infantum-infected dogs. | skin lesions are the most usual manifestation of canine leishmaniosis. the aim of this study was to investigate the histological pattern and parasite load in clinically normal skin of leishmania-infected dogs. two groups of leishmania-infected dogs were studied. group a consisted of 15 symptomless animals which, although seronegative or only mildly seropositive, gave a positive polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for leishmania in the skin. group b consisted of 20 clinically affected dogs which were ... | 2004 | 14693119 |
| in vitro and in vivo activities of a triterpenoid saponin extract (px-6518) from the plant maesa balansae against visceral leishmania species. | the in vitro and in vivo activities of a mixture of six oleane triterpene saponins, recovered from the methanolic extract of the leaves of the vietnamese plant maesa balansae (px-6518), were evaluated against drug-sensitive visceral leishmania strains. the in vitro 50% inhibitory concentration (ic(50)) against intracellular leishmania infantum amastigotes was 0.04 micro g/ml. the cytotoxic concentrations causing 50% cell death (cc(50)s) were about 1 micro g/ml in murine macrophage host cells and ... | 2004 | 14693530 |
| pcr as a rapid and sensitive tool in the diagnosis of human and canine leishmaniasis using leishmania donovani s.l.-specific kinetoplastid primers. | this study was performed in order to test the efficacy of a new polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay for the diagnosis of both human and canine leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum. the new primers were developed on the basis of a complete dna sequence of the l. infantum kinetoplast minicircle. specificity and sensitivity were evaluated by testing bone marrow spots on filter paper and skin biopsy samples, and the pcr results were compared to data from in vitro cultures. leishmania strain ... | 2004 | 14702834 |
| the dendritic cell receptor dc-sign discriminates among species and life cycle forms of leishmania. | infection of dendritic cells by the human protozoal parasite leishmania is part of its survival strategy. the dendritic cell receptors for leishmania have not been established and might differ in their interactions among leishmania species and infective stages. we present evidence that the surface c-type lectin dc-sign (cd 209) is a receptor for promastigote and amastigote infective stages from both visceral (leishmania infantum) and new world cutaneous (leishmania pifanoi) leishmania species, b ... | 2004 | 14707095 |
| development of a dipstick assay for detection of leishmania-specific canine antibodies. | a dipstick assay, based on leishmania infantum antigen, for the rapid detection of leishmania-specific antibodies in canine serum samples was developed and evaluated. after determination of optimal dipstick test conditions, test performance was compared with two existing serological tests, i.e., the direct agglutination test (dat) and the fast agglutination screening test (fast). in the present study the dipstick test had a sensitivity of 99.2% and a specificity of 87.9%. the dat had a sensitivi ... | 2004 | 14715752 |
| visceral leishmaniasis treatment, italy. | first-line drug treatment was recorded in 573 immunocompetent patients with visceral leishmaniasis in italy. in the past 12 years, the proportion of antimonial treatments decreased from 100% to 2.8%, while the proportion of amphotericin b treatments increased from 0% to 97.2%. the countrywide change in therapy is a response to both disease reemergence and increasing antimonial failure. | 2003 | 14720406 |
| a rare case of oral leishmaniasis. | | 2004 | 14720569 |
| characterization of leishmania chagasi dna topoisomerase ii: a potential chemotherapeutic target. | dna topoisomerase ii (topo ii), an enzyme essential for cellular replication, is an eminent target for antimicrobial therapy against leishmania chagasi, the major cause of visceral leishmaniasis in latin america. the complete l. chagasi (lch) top2 gene, encoding l. chagasi topo ii, was isolated from genomic dna using the polymerase chain reaction. the lchtop2 gene revealed an open reading frame (orf) of 3,711 base pairs predicting a protein with 1,236 amino acids and an estimated molecular weigh ... | 2003 | 14723357 |
| emergence of zoonotic canine leishmaniasis in the united states: isolation and immunohistochemical detection of leishmania infantum from foxhounds from virginia. | previously considered an exotic disease, canine leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum has recently been detected within the foxhound population in the united states and parts of canada. leishmania infantum is the etiologic agent of visceral leishmaniasis in many areas of the world and dogs are considered a major reservoir host for human leishmania infections. human visceral leishmaniasis has recently emerged as an opportunistic infection among individuals co-infected with hiv/aids and in p ... | 2003 | 14736222 |
| influence of the inoculation route in balb/c mice infected by leishmania infantum. | mice of the balb/c strain are frequently used, due to their high susceptibility to leishmania infection. most of the studies in visceral leishmaniasis use the endovenous or the intraperitoneal routes to inoculate the parasites. in this study, the development of experimental visceral leishmaniasis infection was evaluated in balb/c mice inoculated with leishmania infantum parasites by endovenous (ev group) or intraperitoneal (ip group) routes. the results shows that both inoculation routes were ab ... | 2004 | 14739031 |
| safety and efficacy of antimicrobial peptides against naturally acquired leishmaniasis. | leishmaniases, which are important causes of morbidity and mortality in humans and dogs, are extremely difficult to treat. antimicrobial peptides are rarely used as alternative treatments for naturally acquired parasitic diseases. here we report that the acylated synthetic antimicrobial peptide oct-ca(1-7)m(2-9) is safe and effective for treating naturally acquired canine leishmaniasis. | 2004 | 14742227 |
| humoral and cellular immune responses against type i cysteine proteinase of leishmania infantum are higher in asymptomatic than symptomatic dogs selected from a naturally infected population. | canids are natural reservoirs of leishmania infantum and have been promoted as experimental hosts to decipher the pathogenesis of human visceral leishmaniasis (vl). in this study, the presence of igg antibodies as well as the presence of mononuclear leukocytes reactive to different cysteine proteinases (cps) were examined in 13 l. infantum-infected dogs (six with symptoms, seven asymptomatic). cysteine proteinases which belong to papain-like enzymes known as clan ca are the most studied cps of p ... | 2004 | 14746971 |
| antinuclear antibodies can be detected in dog sera reactive to bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, ehrlichia canis, or leishmania infantum antigens. | the presence of antinuclear antibodies (anas) is used to support a clinical diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) in dogs. however, clinicians must interpret the detection of anas with caution, particularly in light of increasing evidence that dogs with known bacterial and protozoal infections can have high ana titers. retrospectively, medical records were reviewed for all dogs that were concurrently tested for antinuclear antigens and bartonella vinsonii (berkhoffii), ehrlichia canis, ... | 2004 | 14765731 |
| cell-cycle-dependent translation of histone mrnas is the key control point for regulation of histone biosynthesis in leishmania infantum. | the cell-cycle-dependent expression of the four core histones (h2a, h2b, h3 and h4) has been studied in the protozoan parasite leishmania infantum. for that purpose, the cell cycle was arrested by incubation of promastigotes with the dna synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea, which induced an accumulation of cells stalled in g1 phase. hydroxyurea release resulted in a semi-synchronous entry into the cell cycle, as determined by flow cytometry. the steady-state levels of histone mrnas in the g1, s and ... | 2004 | 14766017 |
| detection of leishmania infantum cryptic infection in asymptomatic blood donors living in an endemic area (eivissa, balearic islands, spain) by different diagnostic methods. | the extent of cryptic leishmaniasis in blood donors from a spanish endemic area, (eivissa island) was studied using various immunological and parasitological methods. sera from 656 blood donors were analysed: 16 (2.4%) were positive by elisa and 50 (7.6%) by western blot. peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) and buffy coat (bc) samples, were analyzed by culture and nested-pcr. dna of l. infantum was amplified in 27 (22.1%) of 122 pbmc. parasites were isolated in 3 (4.5%) of 67 bc cultures a ... | 2004 | 14964810 |
| feeding success of lutzomyia evansi (diptera: psychodidae) experimentally exposed to small mammal hosts in an endemic focus of leishmania chagasi in northern colombia. | lutzomyia evansi is the vector of leishmania chagasi in northern colombia. differences in feeding success were revealed, when this phlebotomine sand fly was fed on five species of small mammal hosts from an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis. in each trial, 50 female sand flies were provided access to similar-sized depilated areas of the hind foot of each of 44 individual mammals and allowed to feed for 30 minutes. the number of engorged sand flies was counted at the end of each trial and c ... | 2003 | 14968917 |
| kinetics of parasite cysteine proteinase inactivation by no-donors. | no-donors block plasmodium, trypanosoma, and leishmania life cycle inactivating parasite cysteine proteinases. in this study, the inactivation of falcipain, cruzipain, and leishmania infantum cysteine proteinase by s-nitroso-5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulphonyl (dansyl-sno), s-nitrosoglutathione (gsno), (+/-)-(e)-4-ethyl-2-[(e)-hydroxyimino]-5-nitro-3-hexenamide (nor-3), and s-nitrosoacetylpenicillamine (snap) is reported. with no-donors in excess over the parasite cysteine proteinase, the tim ... | 2004 | 14975759 |
| leishmania infantum promotes replication of hiv type 1 in human lymphoid tissue cultured ex vivo by inducing secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines tnf-alpha and il-1 alpha. | parasitic infections such as leishmaniasis can modulate the life cycle of hiv-1 and disease progression. coinfection with hiv-1 and leishmania has emerged as a serious threat in countries where both pathogenic agents are widespread. although there are numerous clinical reports illustrating the cofactor role played by leishmania in hiv-1-infected patients, there is still no information on the contribution of leishmania to the biology of hiv-1 in human lymphoid tissue that is considered a major in ... | 2004 | 14978114 |
| antileishmanial activity of a new 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative designed 7-[5'-(3'-phenylisoxazolino)methyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline: preliminary study. | 7-[5'-(3'-phenylisoxazolino)methyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline a new synthetic 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative, was found, for the first time, to inhibit the multiplication in vitro of leishmania tropica, leishmania major and leishmania infantum at micromolar concentrations. for each test we calculated a 50% inhibitory concentration (ic50) and the ic50 values found after 48 h are: 0.4 microgram/ml for l. tropica, 0.88 microgram/ml for l. major and 0.62 microgram/ml for l. infantum. as positive control, am ... | 2004 | 14987982 |
| [liposomal amphotericin b in secondary prophylaxis of visceral leishmaniasis in hiv-infected patients: report of five clinical cases]. | treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in hiv patients encounters inefficacy and relapse due to drug resistance, toxicity and immunodepression. our goal was to evaluate treatment of these patients by liposomal amphotericin b (l-amb). since 1998, five clinical files were exploitable out of 13 patients. protocols used bolus doses ranging between 2.9 and 4.1 mg/kg dispatched on 5-24 days, followed by maintenance dose ranging from 2.7 to 3.8 mg/kg every 15 days. attack treatment involved high bolus dos ... | 2004 | 15001234 |
| development of a real-time pcr assay for detection of plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, and plasmodium ovale for routine clinical diagnosis. | a taqman-based real-time pcr qualitative assay for the detection of three species of malaria parasites-plasmodium falciparum, p. ovale, and p. vivax-was devised and evaluated using 122 whole-blood samples from patients who had traveled to areas where malaria is endemic and who presented with malaria-like symptoms and fever. the assay was compared to conventional microscopy and to an established nested-pcr assay. the specificity of the new assay was confirmed by sequencing the pcr products from a ... | 2004 | 15004078 |
| sandflies of the phlebotomus perniciosus complex: mitochondrial introgression and a new sibling species of p. longicuspis in the moroccan rif. | the bloodsucking adult females of phlebotomus perniciosus newstead and p. longicuspis nitzulescu (diptera: psychodidae) are important vectors of the protozoan leishmania infantum nicolle (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) in western mediterranean countries. the species status of the two phlebotomine sandflies was assessed, along with the epidemiological implications. individual sandflies from three moroccan rif populations were characterized morphologically, isoenzymatically (by the isoelectrofo ... | 2004 | 15009443 |
| the first record in the americas of an autochthonous case of leishmania (leishmania) infantum chagasi in a domestic cat (felix catus) from cotia county, são paulo state, brazil. | a case of feline cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported in a domestic cat (felis catus) as an apparently natural infection in a non-endemic area. amastigotes were seem in smears of a nodular lesion on the cat's nose. no parasite could be seen in cytological preparations of liver or spleen but dna obtained from a sample of the spleen produced the expected fragment in a leishmania specific rdna based pcr assay. the pcr product, a 520 bp fragment, was sequenced and the nucleotide sequence was identica ... | 2004 | 15041097 |
| isoenzymatic polymorphism of leishmania infantum in southern spain. | over a period of more than 10 years we have isolated and classified 161 leishmania strains from cases of human visceral, cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis in immunocompetent subjects, from cases of visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised individuals with hiv, from dogs with leishmaniasis (visceral and cutaneous), from rattus rattus and from sandflies. the strains were all l. infantum, the only species endemic in spain, and corresponded to 20 different zymodemes. we describe the life cycle ... | 2004 | 15049461 |
| cd8(+) t cells with parasite-specific cytotoxic activity and a tc1 profile of cytokine and chemokine secretion develop in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. | recently, a prominent role for cd8(+) t cells in immunity against pathogens has emerged. the mode of action of cd8(+) t cells in murine visceral leishmaniasis and their contribution to the clearance of the parasite has been addressed in the present study. we showed that during the course of experimental infection cytotoxic clones specific for leishmania infantum antigens developed in the spleen of susceptible balb/c mice, showed an activated phenotype and became susceptible to apoptotic cell dea ... | 2003 | 15053778 |
| a leucine-rich repeat motif of leishmania parasite surface antigen 2 binds to macrophages through the complement receptor 3. | membrane glycoconjugates on the leishmania parasites, notably leishmanolysin and lipophosphoglycan, have been implicated in attachment and invasion of host macrophages. however, the function of parasite surface ag 2 (psa-2) and membrane proteophosphoglycan (ppg) has not been elucidated. in this study we demonstrate that native and recombinant leishmania infantum psa-2, which consists predominantly of 15 leucine-rich repeats (lrr) and a recombinant lrr domain derived from l. major ppg, bind to ma ... | 2004 | 15067069 |
| interaction of leishmania (l.) chagasi with the vero cell line. | the vero cell line, a non-phagocytic cell, has supported the intracellular mechanism of leishmania (l.) chagasi. this strain (mhom/br/501/ms00) was isolated from a human case of visceral leishmaniasis in mato grosso do sul, brazil and cultivated in schneider's drosophila medium with 20% of heat inactivated fetal calf serum. it was allowed to infect the vero cells at a ratio of 10 to 20 promastigotes per cell. within six hours of incubation, promastigote forms were found attached to vero cells wi ... | 2004 | 15071834 |
| hepatic cellular immune responses in mice with "cure" and "non-cure" phenotype to leishmania infantum infection: importance of cd8+ t cells and tgf-beta production. | the objective of this study was to analyse hepatic cellular immune response of mice with "cure" and "non-cure" phenotypes to leishmania infantum infection. during infection establishment, elevated tgf-beta levels and absence of a th1 response may have contributed to parasite multiplication and to similar hepatic parasitic loads. later in infection, an increase in the number and activation levels of cd8+ cells was observed simultaneously with parasite elimination, but only significant in "cure" s ... | 2004 | 15094168 |
| reduced expression of the chemokine receptor ccr1 in human macrophages and u-937 cells in vitro infected with leishmania infantum. | chemokines exert their actions through g-proteinlinked receptors, which are expressed to variable extents by different cell types. in accordance with the chemokine classification, these receptors are designated as cxc, cc, xc, and cx(3)c, followed by r and a number. the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate ccr1 expression in human peripheral blood-derived macrophages and the human monocytic u-937 cell line. cells in vitro were infected with live leishmania infantum promastigotes (zymode ... | 2004 | 15103513 |
| sero-epidemiological study of canine leishmania spp. infection in the municipality of alijó (alto douro, portugal). | visceral leishmaniosis caused by leishmania infantum is a zoonotic disease in the mediterranean basin. we report an epidemiological survey carried out in dogs from the municipality of alijó in the endemic region of alto douro (north portugal). performance of the direct agglutination test (dat) was assessed in 205 matching samples of blood collected on filter paper and serum. a high degree of agreement (97.6%; k = 0.83) was found between the results obtained from both types of samples. dat was th ... | 2004 | 15110400 |
| polymerase chain reaction using noninvasively obtained samples, for the detection of leishmania infantum dna in dogs. | a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) procedure using noninvasively obtained samples, for the identification of leishmania infantum in canine tissues, was evaluated and compared with serologic testing and culture. a total of 92% of naturally infected, symptomatic, seropositive dogs were found to be positive by use of dna from conjunctival swabs. spleen or lymph node aspirates were found to be positive by pcr in 86% and by culture in 74% of these dogs. the sensitivity and specificity of conjunctival ... | 2004 | 15116312 |
| oxidative stress and non-enzymatic antioxidative status in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. | leishmaniasis is a potentially fatal chronic protozoan disease in human, canine and rodent species. the infection by leishmania is endemic in the mediterranean sea region, africa, asia and south america. canine visceral leishmaniasis (canvl) is a systemic disease caused by leishmania infantum and leishmania chagasi from the leishmania donovani complex group. the blood glutathione (gsh), plasma malondialdehyde (mda), ascorbic acid (aa), beta-carotene, retinol and ceruloplasmin levels of dogs with ... | 2004 | 15120954 |
| a simple micro-assay method for estimating blood meal size of the sand fly, phlebotomus langeroni (diptera: psychodidae). | the accurate measurement of blood meal size in phlebotomus langeroni, the potential vector of infantile visceral leishmaniasis in egypt, is important to determine the number of parasites taken in fully engorged insects. a simple protein content micro-assay is introduced for that purpose. the accuracy of this method was confirmed by hemoglobin estimation method. laboratory bred p. langeroni were fed artificially on defibrinated human blood and the fully engorged flies were carefully dissected on ... | 2004 | 15125525 |
| chronic canine ehrlichiosis (ehrlichia canis): a retrospective study of 19 natural cases. | nineteen dogs from greece with chronic ehrlichiosis were studied. the dogs exhibited bicytopenia or pancytopenia, bone marrow hypoplasia, seroreactivity to ehrlichia canis (e. canis) antigens, and had no history of drug or radiation exposure. anorexia, depression, severe bleeding tendencies, hypoalbuminemia, and increased serum alanine aminotransferase activity were also hallmarks of the disease. all these animals eventually died, irrespective of the treatment applied. some dogs were also serolo ... | 2004 | 15131097 |
| rapid detection of leishmania infantum infection in dogs: comparative study using an immunochromatographic dipstick rk39 test and direct agglutination. | a rapid, sensitive and specific tool for detection of leishmania infantum infection in dogs, would be highly desirable, because it would allow control interventions in endemic areas of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (zvl). in this study, we compared an immunochromatographic dipstick test with direct agglutination test (dat) for detecting l. infantum infections in dogs from areas of zvl endemic in iran. the validity of the dipstick rk39 (cypress diagnostic company, belgium) for canine visceral l ... | 2004 | 15135863 |
| prevention of sand fly attack by topical application of a permethrin/pyriproxyfen combination on dogs. | dogs are the primary domestic reservoir of leishmania infantum, the parasite responsible for most cases of human visceral leishmaniasis. a strategy for the control of leishmaniasis would be to inhibit the sand fly bite. a study was designed to measure the prevention of the sand fly attack by spraying a combination of permethrin and pyriproxyfen on dogs artificially exposed to the vector of leishmaniasis. eight dogs were individually challenged with 100 female sand flies for 1 hour on days -7, 0, ... | 2003 | 15136993 |
| drug uptake and modulation of drug resistance in leishmania by an aquaglyceroporin. | leishmaniasis is a protozoan parasitic disease that affects 12 million people worldwide. the first line choice for the treatment of this disease is antimonial drugs. in the endemic regions, resistance to this class of drugs is a major impediment to treatment. microbes often become resistant to drugs by mutation or down-regulation of uptake systems, but the uptake system for the antimonial drugs in leishmania is unknown. in other organisms, aquaglyceroporins have been shown to facilitate uptake o ... | 2004 | 15138256 |
| is leishmaniasis becoming endemic in germany? | | 2004 | 15147005 |
| detection of leishmania infantum kinetoplast dna in peripheral blood from asymptomatic individuals at risk for parenterally transmitted infections: relationship between polymerase chain reaction results and other leishmania infection markers. | individuals with frequent exposures to agents spread through the parenteral route show a high prevalence of leishmania seropositivity in spain. however, the frequency of positive polymerase chain reaction (pcr) results for leishmania in blood in this setting remains unknown. in this study, l. infantum kinetoplast dna (kdna) was found in blood from 23 (24%) of 95 asymptomatic individuals with a serum leishmania antibody titer > or = 1:20 and in none of 44 seronegative individuals. the greater the ... | 2004 | 15155989 |
| generation of leishmania mutants lacking antibiotic resistance genes using a versatile hit-and-run targeting strategy. | the development of a method to create defined mutants of leishmania parasites lacking foreign genes conferring resistance to antibiotics has both experimental and practical applications. mutants deficient in specific virulence genes have potential as attenuated live vaccines, but these can only be of clinical relevance if the antibiotic resistance genes used for selection of the mutants are subsequently removed. in addition, the limited number of antibiotic resistance genes that can be used for ... | 2004 | 15158266 |
| targeting leishmania (l.) chagasi amastigotes through macrophage scavenger receptors: the use of drugs entrapped in liposomes containing phosphatidylserine. | we devised liposome-entrapped antimony with the negatively charged lipid phosphatidylserine-liposome-entrapped antimony (sb-lp)-in order to improve their targeting to infected macrophages through the interaction with scavenger receptors (srs). | 2004 | 15163652 |
| in vitro activity of the beta-carboline alkaloids harmane, harmine, and harmaline toward parasites of the species leishmania infantum. | harmane, harmine, and harmaline were investigated for their in vitro antileishmanial activity toward parasites of the species leishmania infantum. harmane and harmine displayed a moderate antiproliferative activity toward human monocytes and exerted a weak antileishmanial activity toward both the promastigote and the amastigote forms of the parasite. their mechanism of action on the promastigote form of the parasite involved interactions with dna metabolism leading to an accumulation of parasite ... | 2004 | 15172213 |
| the expression of hsp83 genes in leishmania infantum is affected by temperature and by stage-differentiation and is regulated at the levels of mrna stability and translation. | exposure of leishmania promastigotes to the temperature of their mammalian hosts results in the induction of a typical heat shock response. it has been suggested that heat shock proteins play an important role in parasite survival and differentiation. | 2004 | 15176985 |