Publications

mucocutaneous leishmaniasis due to leishmania (leishmania) infantum: biochemical characterization.	a vegetative mass in the right nasal cavity of a 62-year-old man from palma de mallorca, spain, was found to be due to leishmania. the organism was isolated in culture and characterized by in situ hybridization, southern blot hybridization, and isoenzyme analysis; it was thus demonstrated to be the most common enzyme variant 1 (mon 1) of leishmania (leishmania) infantum.	1990	2267965
erosive colitis in experimental canine leishmaniasis.	six 4 month-old beagles were inoculated with leishmania infantum, three of them intraperitoneally (group a) and the other three intravenously (group b). the animals from group a were killed at 109, 433 and 592 days after inoculation and animals from group b 109, 171 and 334 days after inoculation. at 350 days (group a) and 275 days (group b) after inoculation, dogs started to develop a chronic large bowel diarrhoea. at necropsy a diffuse colonic and rectal wall thickening of gradually increasing ...	1990	2396485
trypanosoma cruzi: differential expression and distribution of an 85-kda polypeptide epitope by in vitro developmental stages.	the expression by trypanosoma cruzi developmental stages of an 85-kda polypeptide epitope defined by the 155d3 monoclonal antibody (mab) has been investigated. immunoprecipitation revealed the presence of an 85-kda antigen in the np-40 soluble extract of parasites freshly released from infected fibroblasts; this antigen was not found in epimastigote and leishmania infantum promastigote. indirect immunofluorescence revealed that the mab 155d3 failed to react with trypomastigotes, whereas extracel ...	1990	1695578
evidence of transferrin binding sites on the surface of leishmania promastigotes.	a glycoprotein of 78,000 molecular mass (78 kda), associated with the membrane of leishmania infantum promastigotes, was identified and immunopurified by monoclonal antibody (mab) ld9 produced against isolated membrane preparations. mab ld9 was subsequently found to bind to human transferrin, also of 78 kda. binding of ld9 to transferrin was completely abolished when the mab was preabsorbed by leishmania membranes, thereby indicating that the 78-kda leishmania membrane-associated glycoprotein an ...	1990	1702420
cutaneous leishmaniasis and leishmania infantum.		1991	1755077
putrescine uptake regulation in response to alpha-difluoromethylornithine treatment in leishmania infantum promastigotes.	the putrescine uptake/efflux regulation and their regulatory role on intracellular polyamine pools have been studied in the parasitic protozoa leishmania infantum. putrescine uptake was age-dependent with maximal values in logarithmic phase promastigotes and minimal in stationary phase. moreover, putrescine uptake was activated in response to depletion of intracellular polyamines by alpha-difluoromethylornithine (dfmo)--a well known irreversible enzyme-activated inhibitor of ornithine decarboxyl ...	1991	1791826
leishmania infantum: polyamine biosynthesis and levels during the growth of promastigotes.	1. decarboxylation of polyamine precursors: l-ornithine and l-methionine was determined along the growth curve of leishmania infantum promastigotes in vivo, reaching maximum values on day 2 post-inoculum (mid-logarithmic phase). 2. maximum values of l-ornithine and l-methionine decarboxylation were: 1.97 +/- 0.28 nmol co2/hr/10(7) promastigotes and 3.18 +/- 0.34 nmol co2/hr/10(7) promastigotes, respectively. 3. total (free + conjugated) polyamine content was closely related with the proliferativ ...	1991	1794446
a case of lingual and palatine localization of a viscerotropic leishmania infantum zymodeme in sardinia, italy.	an autochthonous case of leishmaniasis of tongue and palate is reported from sardinia, italy. the parasite isolated from the lingual lesion was typed through the electrophoretic analysis of 14 isoenzymes and it was identified as leishmania infantum zymodeme mon 27.	1991	1801144
[visceral leishmaniasis caused by a dermotropic strain of leishmania infantum in an aids patient].	a case of fatal visceral leishmaniasis due to a dermotropic strain of leishmania infantum (zymodeme mon-24) is related in an aids patient in spite of a specific treatment.	1991	1807852
[ecoepidemiology of leishmaniases in syria. 2--presence, in dogs, of leishmania infantum nicolle and leishmania tropica (wright) (kinetoplastida-trypanonomatidae)].	in an ecoepidemiological study in the syrian foci of human visceral (vl) and cutaneous (cl) leishmaniasis, domestic dogs infected with leishmania infantum mon-1 and l. tropica mon-76 were found for the first time. in syria canine leishmaniasis caused by l. infantum, occurs in the humid and sub-humid western belt from the coastal zone to the nearby mountain ranges. sporadis cases of human vl occur in this area. canine cl, caused by l. tropica was found in the semi-arid zone in a village with a hi ...	1991	1822655
[extension of the transmission area of kala-azar caused by leishmania infantum (nicolle 1908) to the center and south of tunisia].	seventeen (17) parasitologically confirmed cases of infantile kala azar (ka) are reported from 1982 to 1991 in tunisia, in areas (gouvernorates of sidi bouzid, kasserine, sfax, gafsa and tozeur) where the disease has never (or exceptionally) been reported before. this tendency to the extension of the ka areas from northern tunisia to the central and southern parts could be explained by the ecological modifications that occurred in these zones following agriculture development programs that inclu ...	1991	1824507
the development of leishmania infantum in phlebotomus langeroni nitzulescu (diptera: psychodidae).	the extrinsic development of leishmania infantum was observed in phlebotomus langeroni the potential vector of visceral leishmaniasis in el-agamy, egypt. flies were infected with l. infantum isolated from the same area, using membrane feeding technique. flies were examined for infection at 1-10 days post-infection. the initial establishment of the parasites was in the posterior midgut region beginning at sixth day post-infection. parasites were first observed in the esophagus at day 8, and in th ...	1991	1841208
experimental infections of a phlebotomus perniciosus colony using different procedures.	flies of two colonies of phlebotomus perniciosus established in italy and spain respectively, were infected with a leishmania infantum isolate from spain. only p. perniciosus from spain was completely found susceptible to the infection. experimental infections of p. perniciosus from spain with the same l. infantum isolate were carried out using rpmi or pbs as infective feeding mediums. the results demonstrate that using pbs it is possible to re-feed a great quantity of infected flies.	1991	1841239
the sandflies of algeria.	twenty-two species of sandflies are known to be present in algeria: 12 phlebotomus and 10 sergentomyia. each species has its own ecological distribution except in the mountains of the central sahara where both mediterranean species and species of the ethiopian zoo-geographical area occur together. phlebotomus perniciosus and p. papatasi are the proven vectors of leishmania infantum visceral leishmaniasis and l. major cutaneous leishmaniasis respectively.	1991	1841261
substrate-dependent ph optima of gp63 purified from seven strains of leishmania.	the major surface glycoprotein of leishmania, gp63, is a membrane-bound metalloprotease. contradictory data supporting a neutral or acidic nature of this enzyme have been presented. seven strains of old and new world leishmania, including leishmania donovani complex (leishmania infantum and l. donovani), leishmania major, leishmania tropica and leishmania mexicana amazonensis were used for the purification and comparative study of gp63. the protein was extracted from promastigotes by phase separ ...	1991	1857388
immunoblot analysis of the humoral immune response to leishmania donovani infantum polypeptides in human visceral leishmaniasis.	using the immunoblot technique, we have compared the reactions of leishmania donovani infantum polypeptides with the immunoglobulin g of human sera from patients with parasitologically proven l. d. infantum infection, with suspected visceral leishmaniasis, and with other leishmaniases, protozoiases, helminthiases, and fungal or bacterial diseases. a 94-kda component reacted with all l. d. infantum-infected sera and with 75% of sera from patients with clinical and serological but no parasitologic ...	1991	1885738
molecular probe for identification of trichomonas vaginalis dna.	trichomoniasis is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted diseases in the world. diagnosis can be achieved by several methods, such as direct microscopic observation of vaginal discharge, cell culture, and immunological techniques. a 2.3-kb trichomonas vaginalis dna fragment present in strains from diverse geographic areas was cloned and used as a probe to detect t. vaginalis dna in vaginal discharge by a dot blot hybridization technique. this probe was specific for t. vaginalis dna. it ...	1991	1890171
saponins of the ivy plant, hedera helix, and their leishmanicidic activity.	antileishmanial activity is reported for the first time for saponins of ivy, hedera helix l., in vitro on promastigote and amastigote forms of leishmania infantum and leishmania tropica. the compounds tested were an extract containing 60% of saponic complex (cs 60), the bidesmosides hederasaponin b, c, and d (saponin k10), their corresponding monodesmosides alpha-, beta-, and delta-hederin, and hederagenin. cs 60 and bidesmosides have shown no effect. monodesmosides were found to be as effective ...	1991	1896525
a seroepidemiological survey on leishmania infantum infection.	findings from a seroepidemiological survey of leishmania infantum (li) infection are presented. among residents in the province of rome, 2.7% (4.4% in the city of rome and 1% in the suburbs) of 374 adults were positive for specific li antibodies in indirect haemoagglutination studies. among 217 adult residents of caltanissetta province (sicily), 4.1% were positive for li antibodies (4.2% in caltanissetta city and 4% in the suburbs). serological tests for li antibodies were also carried out on st ...	1991	1915791
long-range restriction maps of size-variable homologous chromosomes in leishmania infantum.	in order to clarify the interpretation of molecular karyotype polymorphisms in leishmania, the three smallest chromosomes from five cloned strains of leishmania infantum were identified by chromosome-specific anonymous dna probes. the presence in the same clone of homologous chromosomes of a different size was demonstrated. the chromosome size polymorphism appeared even more dramatic, with size variations affecting up to 20% of the chromosome, and the two smallest bands in one strain being equiv ...	1991	1922200
a leishmania infantum enzymatic variant, causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in north tunisia.		1991	1949140
evidence of subjects sensitized to leishmania infantum on the french mediterranean coast: differences in gamma interferon production between this population and visceral leishmaniasis patients.	the marseilles region is an endemic area for visceral mediterranean leishmaniasis, but although the number of dog cases, the parasite's main host, is very high, only a few people develop the disease. we looked for sensitized healthy subjects among 25 healthy individuals living in this area by studying their in vitro lymphoproliferative response to leishmania infantum antigens and gamma interferon synthesis. we found that 65% of tested subjects were sensitized against l. infantum. we compared the ...	1991	1956699
an experimental model for canine visceral leishmaniasis.	seven mixed-breed dogs were challenged with either promastigotes or amastigotes of leishmania donovani infantum strains recently isolated from naturally infected dogs. different routes and numbers of parasites were utilized and each dog was monitored for at least 1 year post-infection. anti-parasite specific antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbence, immunofluorescence, crossed-immune electrophoresis and western blotting on crude antigen. western blotting on two pure parasite ...	1991	1956700
renal involvement in canine leishmaniasis. a light-microscopic, immunohistochemical and electron-microscopic study.	in a prospective survey in the isle of elba, 413 dogs affected by naturally acquired leishmania infantum infection were identified out of a controlled population of 1,500 resident mongrel dogs. in all the 34 randomly selected dogs of different breed, age, and duration of disease, the presence of glomerular lesions which defined mainly two categories of glomerulonephritis (gn) was observed. the first group was characterized by mesangial-cell proliferation either with focal features (11 dogs), or ...	1991	2046828
promastigote infectivity in leishmania infantum.	different clones and subpopulations of clones of leishmania infantum were analyzed for their infective potential in vitro. infectivity for macrophage-like cells (p388d1) and the response to a challenge with normal human serum enabled a clear differentiation between infective and non/low-infective populations. the results were confirmed by determination of parasite burdens in the spleens of infected golden hamsters. long-term cultivation assays in vitro were used to test the influence of differen ...	1991	2047365
synthesis and antileishmanial activity of some 1- or 2-(dihydroxyalkyl) and 3-(dihydroxyalkoxy)pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidines.	several new derivatives of 4-amino-, 4,6-diamino- and 4-hydrazino-[3,4-d]pyrimidine dihydroxyalkyl substituted in the 1 or 2 positions, or dihydroxyalkoxy substituted in the 3 position have been synthesized. some of these compounds were evaluated for their activity against leishmania infantum in mice. the highest degree of antileishmanial activity was displayed by the 4-amino-1-(dihydroxyalkyl) derivatives which yielded parasite inhibition values nearly comparable with that of glucantime in a st ...	1991	2054043
the amino aldehydes produced by spermine and spermidine oxidation with maize polyamine oxidase have anti-leishmanial effect.	purified maize polyamine oxidase bound to hydroxylapatite was utilized as an enzymatic reactor to produce oxidized spermidine and spermine. the oxidation products showed a consistent inhibitory activity on leishmania infantum in mice. 1,3-diaminopropane showed a much lower activity. moreover chemically prepared 4-aminobutyraldehyde had a similar ed50 to that of oxidized spermidine. it is concluded that among the compounds arising from polyamine oxidation those with the greatest anti-leishmanial ...	1991	1654929
evaluation of in-vitro leishmanicidal activity of hydrazones of thiophene carboxaldehydes against promastigotes of leishmania infantum and leishmania tropica.	the lack of leishmanicidal drugs has prompted the synthesis and testing of new hydrazones of thiophene carboxaldehydes against three leishmania strains. the compounds were obtained by condensation of appropriate hydrazines with thiophene 2-carboxaldehyde (series 1), thiophene 3-carboxaldehyde (series 2), and 5-nitrothiophene-2-carboxaldehyde (series 3). leishmanicidal activity was assessed against promastigotes of leishmania strains, grown in-vitro in nutrient broth medium complemented with fres ...	1991	1676064
western blot analysis of antibodies to leishmania infantum antigens: potential of the 14-kd and 16-kd antigens for diagnosis and epidemiologic purposes.	when infected with leishmania species, patients develop specific antibodies that constitute the basis of serodiagnosis. using western blot analysis, we studied the specificity of anti-l. infantum antibodies in patients with visceral leishmaniasis (including patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [aids]) and in healthy subjects living in an endemic area. sera from patients with visceral leishmaniasis recognized numerous antigens that had a molecular mass range of 12-120 kd. the 14-, 16- ...	1992	1281966
the isolation and cultivation of leishmania infantum from apparently normal skin of visceral leishmaniasis patients in northern pakistan.		1992	1287916
dog-transmitted zoonoses: a serological survey in the province of bologna.	eight hundred and two sera of owned dogs from four small towns north-west of bologna were examined for the presence of antibodies against coxiella burnetii and leishmania infantum. at the same time, 149 sera of 69 dog owners from the same area were tested for the presence of antibodies to q fever, leishmaniasis, echinococcosis/hydatidosis and toxocarosis. of the 802 dog sera, 7 (0.87%) were positive for q fever. of the 69 dog owners, 24 (35%) were positive for q fever, 4 (6%) for echinococcosis/ ...	1992	1303042
decreased sensitivity to meglumine antimoniate (glucantime) of leishmania infantum isolated from dogs after several courses of drug treatment.	although unresponsiveness to antimonial drugs in human leishmaniasis appears to be increasing, resistance to antimony in leishmania is not well documented. treatment of leishmaniasis in dogs, the domestic reservoir of l. infantum, with meglumine antimoniate (glucantime) is a common practice in many mediterranean countries. the dogs, however, remain highly infective to the phlebotomine vectors, even after several courses of treatment. a study was therefore carried out to test the comparative susc ...	1992	1304703
multiple forms of chromosome i, ii and v in a restricted population of leishmania infantum contrasting with monomorphism in individual strains suggest haploidy or automixy.	we have resolved the molecular karyotypes of 22 leishmania infantum strains isolated between 1980 and 1988 in a restricted geographic area and belonging to zymodemes mon-11, -29 and -33. three strains were isolated from sandflies and all the others from human cutaneous lesions. a high degree of karyotypic homology is observed among these strains, contrasting with the highly polymorphic mon-1 strains isolated in the same area. we have analysed the time-dependent evolution of size variants of chro ...	1992	1311052
hexadecylphosphocholine: oral treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in mice.	hexadecylphosphocholine (he-pc), a novel phospholipid derivative, was tested against leishmania donovani and leishmania infantum, the causative agents of visceral leishmaniasis. in vitro, promastigotes were highly susceptible to he-pc; the 50% inhibitory concentrations were between 0.89 and 2.25 micrograms/ml for the different leishmanial strains. in vivo, a marked antileishmanial activity in infected balb/c mice could be demonstrated after oral administration of he-pc. whereas parasite suppress ...	1992	1329624
a kinetoplast dna probe diagnostic for leishmania infantum.	a 196 bp fragment of cloned kinetoplast (k) dna of leishmania infantum has been sequenced and shown to be diagnostic for this species. the dna from 10(4)-10(5) promastigotes was routinely and specifically detected in crude dot blots of whole cells lysed in situ, and there was no cross-hybridization with 10(6) cells of l. major, l. tropica, l. killicki, l. aethiopica, l. braziliensis and l. mexicana. a low degree of hybridization was found with l. donovani and l. chagasi. this probe will be of pa ...	1992	1331940
visceral leishmaniasis involving a cutaneous kaposi's sarcoma lesion and free areas of skin.		1992	1341457
two syntopic zymodemes of leishmania infantum cause human and canine visceral leishmaniasis in the naples area, italy.		1992	1356308
leishmania infantum mon-98 isolated from naturally infected phlebotomus langeroni (diptera: psychodidae) in el agamy, egypt.	leishmania infantum zymodeme mon-98 was isolated in el agamy, egypt. a total of 15 (1.07%) leishmania-like infections in the anterior midgut and in the head was found in 1,405 phlebotomus langeroni (nitzulescu); none of 1,785 phlebotomus papatasi (scopoli) was found infected. four of the 15 cultures (26.7%) were indistinguishable from a reference l. infantum mon-98 strain using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. the isolation and identification of l. infantum mon-98 from naturally infected p. la ...	1992	1404272
macrophage activation by polymeric nanoparticles of polyalkylcyanoacrylates: activity against intracellular leishmania donovani associated with hydrogen peroxide production.	nanoparticles of polyalkylcyanoacrylates (paca) can be useful carrier for the targeting of antileishmanial drugs into macrophages and also possess significant antileishmanial activity by themselves. no significant difference in antileishmanial activity could be detected between nanoparticles of five pacas with differing alkyl side chains, suggesting that the main degradation products of paca are not involved in their antileishmanial action. the effect of polyisohexylcyanoacrylate (pihca) on the ...	1992	1409361
the significance of serum soluble il-2 receptor as a marker for active visceral leishmaniasis in sicilian patients.	sera from nine sicilian patients with confirmed visceral leishmaniasis (leishmania donovani infantum; vl), at the moment of the diagnosis, during the course of the disease and after clinical recovery, were analysed for the concentration of soluble il-2 receptor (sil-2r). the results show that sil-2r is a marker of disease activity, since it is in high concentration at the beginning of infection and returns to the normal range following successful chemotherapy. at the same time of serum analysis ...	1992	1424277
a multicopy, extrachromosomal dna in leishmania infantum contains two inverted repeats of the 27.5-kilobase ld1 sequence and encodes numerous transcripts.	leishmania dna 1 (ld1) is a 27.5-kb sequence that occurs as an inverted repeat in a 55-kb multicopy, circular dna in leishmania infantum itmap263. the sequence is also found with a different genomic organization, possibly a tandem array, within a 1.5-mb chromosome in all leishmania isolates. about 26 stable transcripts of ld1 sequence, ranging from 0.6 to 15 kb, are found in itmap263. transcripts were detected from both strands of the entire ld1 sequence, but the inverted repeat nature of the ci ...	1992	1435875
demonstration of leishmania specific cell mediated and humoral immunity in asymptomatic dogs.	an elisa and a lymphocyte proliferation assay were used for the detection of anti-leishmania antibodies and parasite specific cellular immunity respectively in a preliminary study of canine leishmaniasis in oporto, portugal. a high rate of infection was found considering the comparatively small group sampled. of 34 dogs examined two had anti-leishmanial antibodies but their lymphocytes did not proliferate in the presence of leishmania infantum. conversely two dogs demonstrated antigen specific l ...	1992	1437241
leishmaniasis diagnosed from bronchoalveolar lavage.	a 51-year-old renal transplant patient, whose spleen had been removed 11 years ago, was admitted to hospital for elective surgery, which was cancelled as she developed spiking fever and nonproductive cough and her general condition deteriorated. after 2 weeks, leishmaniasis was unexpectedly diagnosed from a bronchoalveolar lavage specimen, which had been subjected to parasitological examination under the suspicion of pneumocystosis. isoenzyme typing identified the parasite as leishmania infantum ...	1992	1465589
changes in the plasma concentrations of lipids and lipoprotein fractions in dogs infected with leishmania infantum.	a study was made of serum concentrations of cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides, cholesterol bound to high-density lipoproteins (hdl), hdl1-cholesterol, hdl2-cholesterol and cholesterol bound to low-density lipoproteins (ldl) in 16 dogs naturally infected with leishmania infantum (zmon-1) taken from an endemic focus. results were compared with those of a control group of ten healthy dogs. statistically significant increases in cholesterol, triglyceride and ldl-cholesterol levels were obser ...	1992	1466128
serodiagnosis and screening of canine visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of corsica: applicability of a direct agglutination test and immunoblot analysis.	for effective control of visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum in the mediterranean area, the detection of infected dogs is of utmost importance. to assess the suitability of a direct agglutination test (dat) and immunoblot analysis in serodiagnosis and screening of infected dogs under field conditions, a study was performed on 113 dogs in an endemic area of corsica. twenty one of 22 parasitologically confirmed cases were correctly diagnosed by both tests, and 100% specificity was ...	1992	1471734
sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis in north tunisia: identification of the causative agent as leishmania infantum by the use of a diagnostic deoxyribonucleic acid probe.	a diagnostic kinetoplast deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) probe has been used to identify as leishmania infantum amastigotes taken from the lesions (in dermal fluid or lesion triturates) of 7 of 8 patients suffering from sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis in north tunisia. all 8 isolates were very difficult to culture but, subsequently, sufficient parasites of one isolate have been grown for isoenzyme typing, and were identified as zymodeme mon 24 of l. infantum. the advantages of using recombinant dna ...	1992	1475816
isolation of leishmania infantum from the blood of a patient with aids using sandflies.		1992	1475819
pathological changes in kidneys of dogs with natural leishmania infection.	a study was made of the nephropathy in canine leishmaniasis produced in ten adult dogs naturally infected with leishmania infantum. renal function analyses were performed (uraemia, creatinaemia, plasma proteins, biochemistry and urinary sediment), the humoral immune response (fluorescent antibodies and levels of serum igg, igm and iga) was assessed and histopathological studies were carried out. correlation of the results showed acute renal insufficiency which was reversible in two animals (endo ...	1992	1485420
humoral responses following immunization with leishmania infantum (ex. oklahoma): a comparison of adjuvant efficacy in the antibody responses of balb-c mice.	adjuvants are commonly used in immunization protocols for the purpose of augmenting immune responses to antigens. the antigenic profile of leishmania infantum (ex. oklahoma) is described and the efficacies of three adjuvants delivered coincidentally with killed promastigotes are compared, by measuring relative serologic responses of balb-c mice to specific antigenic determinants. western blotting techniques were employed to visualize humoral responses to isolated antigens; serologic profiles wer ...	1992	1512073
canine leishmaniasis caused by leishmania leishmania infantum in two labrador retrievers.	canine leishmaniasis, a generally fatal parasitic disease, was diagnosed in 2 dogs with a medical history of foreign travel, lymphadenopathy, emaciation, anorexia, intermittent fever, and cutaneous lesions. clinically, hyperproteinemia, proteinuria, azotemia, and glomerulopathy were evident. isolation of leishmania species was done using schneider's drosophila medium. syrian hamsters were used for infectivity studies. clear taxonomic identification was done biochemically by isoenzyme analysis an ...	1992	1515492
molecular characterization of a leishmania donovani infantum antigen identified as histone h2a.	a leishmania donovani infantum promastigote cdna expression library was screened with a serum obtained from a dog naturally infected with this parasite. one of the positive clones obtained revealed nucleotide sequence similarities with the histone h2a genes from various organisms. northern blot analyses and sequence data of three independently isolated cdna clones indicated that the leishmania h2a mrnas are polyadenylated, as are the basal histone mrnas of higher eukaryotes and the histone mrnas ...	1992	1555581
effect of fibronectin and interferon-gamma on the uptake of leishmania major and leishmania infantum promastigotes by u937 cells.	uptake of leishmania major and leishmania infantum promastigotes by u937 cells was determined by microscopic observation and by using radiolabelled parasites. with both species we observed an increase in uptake after parasite pretreatments with fibronectin, and a decrease in uptake after cell pretreatment with interferon-gamma (ifn gamma). when both pretreatments were performed, the uptake was significantly decreased only in l. infantum experiments. these findings may be of some importance in th ...	1992	1556959
induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha by leishmania infantum in murine macrophages from different inbred mice strains.	the present study was undertaken to determine whether the viscerotropic species, leishmania infantum, endemic in italy, could induce tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf alpha) in murine macrophages. genetically susceptible (lshs) and resistant (lshr) mice were used in the attempt to correlate tnf alpha production with the ability to control parasite growth and replication. resident peritoneal macrophages of c3h/hen, dba/2, cba (lshr), c57bl/10 and balb/c (lshs) mice were infected in vitro with prom ...	1992	1560756
[parasitological and immunological progress control during and after chemotherapy of canine leishmaniasis].	promastigote leishmania-organisms were diagnostically cultivated in vitro from popliteal lymph node aspirates obtained from 32 of in total 36 dogs returning from endemic areas. isoenzyme analysis (glucosephosphate-isomerase (gpi), phosphoglucomutase (pgm) and glutamate-oxaloacetate-transaminase (got) resulted in the identification of leishmania infantum (syn. leishmania (l.) infantum) for all 18 isolates investigated. parasites were still able to be cultivated in vitro in 79% of 28 biopsies (fro ...	1992	1566026
identification and isolation of the leishmania transferrin receptor.	in a previous report, we have presented several lines of evidence, derived from widely different methodologies, suggesting that leishmania has specific receptors for transferrin with a kd similar to the mammalian transferrin receptor. this paper describes the identification, purification, and biochemical characterization of leishmania transferrin receptor. the leishmania transferrin receptor, detected on intact parasites by immunoperoxidase staining, was first identified by sodium dodecyl sulfat ...	1992	1577747
canine leishmaniasis in the gargano promontory (apulia, south italy).	we examined 444 dogs by visiting farms and peripheral districts on the gargano promontory (province of foggia, apulia, south italy). clinical examination and immunofluorescence antibody test for leishmaniasis were performed. bone marrow and lymph node samples obtained from 25 dogs with positive serological test were cultured on tobie-evans medium. the results obtained show both a higher seropositivity rate for canine leishmaniasis (14.4%) and a higher percentage of asymptomatic dogs with positiv ...	1992	1644148
[leishmaniasis in peninsular spain. a historical-bibliographic review (1912-1985)].	a bibliographic-historical review of leishmaniasis in spain during the period 1912-1985 is carried out. the bibliographical prospecting has allowed to collect a total of 402 works; out of them only 79 are included in this review. from reading them, it can be deduced that, starting from its discovery in the coast of levante in 1912, leishmaniasis has been a very well known disease in spain, during the first third of our century, period in which a remarkable prevalence took place, as it follows fr ...	1993	7732292
sensitivity and specificity of a recombinant leishmania chagasi antigen in the serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.		1993	7802487
antibodies to leishmania (l) glycolipids and gangliosides in sera of patients with visceral or with zoonotic l. major leishmaniasis.		1993	7802494
visceral leishmaniasis in teresina, n. e. brazil: towards a dna probe kit and its adaptation to processing blood-contaminated samples.	the lmet2 chemiluminescent dna probe is a valuable tool for identifying parasites of the leishmania donovani -complex in sand flies, dogs and human samples. recent blood meals in sand flies or blood contamination of tissue samples inhibited probe sensitivity, whether radiolabelled or chemiluminescent detection systems were used. treatment of membranes with protease before hybridisation restored positive signal. alternatively samples could be lysed with protease and applied to membranes with a va ...	1993	7802496
characterization of a circulating antigen involved in immune complexes in visceral leishmaniasis patients.	complications of visceral leishmaniasis are explained in part by immune complex pathology, particularly nephritis. using the polyethylene glycol precipitation method, we identified among these complexes a leishmania infantum circulating antigen by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. monoclonal antibodies were produced to specifically detect this antigen. this protein (molecular weight 51 kd) is a cytoplasmic antigen of l. infantum and its synthesis by pr ...	1993	8214280
phlebotomus (larroussius) perfiliewi naturally infected with dermotropic leishmania infantum at tenes, algeria.		1993	8249062
regression of diffuse intralobular liver fibrosis associated with visceral leishmaniasis.	diffuse intralobular fibrosis of the liver is rare in cases of new world visceral leishmaniasis. a patient with this disease from a newly endemic area in the northernmost area of the brazilian amazon region was studied. hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the phagocytic mononuclear cell system were observed, with parasitism and disse's space fibrosis diffusely involving the liver. this description is based on a biopsy carried out after seven days of treatment with glucantime. another biopsy performed ...	1993	8250102
isolation, characterization and analysis of the expression of the leishmania ribosomal po protein genes.	two tandemly linked genes are present in the leishmania infantum genome that code for the acidic ribosomal po protein. the genes are identical in the coding region, although a striking lack of nucleotide sequence conservation is observed when the boundaries of the coding regions between both genes are compared. the 3' untranslated regions of the two genes are, moreover, different in size. the deduced amino acid sequence of the l. infantum po protein (lipo) shows a high degree of sequence conserv ...	1993	8264730
characterization of leishmania isolates from two aids patients originating from valencia, spain.		1993	8296386
[a fraction derived from non-protector extract of leishmania infantum protects balb/c mice against leishmania major infection].	we report the identification of a subfraction isolated by gel filtration liquid chromatography from a non-protective leishmania infantum extract, which protects balb/c mice against leishmania major infection, in conjunction with a bacterial adjuvant. protected mice exhibited cell-mediated immunity, as assessed by increased numbers of cd4+ and cd8+ spleen cells, and the production of ifn gamma, as compared to mice who received only the adjuvant before infection.	1993	8087613
activity of liposomal amphotericin b (ambisome) against leishmania infantum and tissue distribution in mice.	preliminary observations have shown that ambisome, a liposomal formulation of amphotericin b (vestar inc.), is effective and non-toxic in animal and human visceral leishmaniasis. the activity of multiple doses of this drug on leishmania infantum, in balb/c mice was investigated, and amphotericin b concentration in liver and spleen was determined. groups of infected mice were treated intravenously with 3, 5, or 7 doses of ambisome (3 mg/kg) over 3, 10 and 25 days, respectively. the antileishmania ...	1993	8069573
human serum resistant promastigotes of leishmania infantum in the midgut of phlebotomus perniciosus.	promastigotes of leishmania infantum develop from early-stage normal human serum (nhs) sensitive forms to a partially nhs resistant stage in the midgut of phlebotomus perniciosus. this development begins about day 7 after the sandfly has taken its initial infective bloodmeal. the onset of partial nhs-resistance occurs when mass proliferation of midgut promastigotes is already completed and the parasites have begun to differentiate into small, highly motile cells. in this parasite/vector interrel ...	1993	8094588
the subclinical form of experimental visceral leishmaniasis in dogs.	pathological aspects of a subclinical form of experimental canine leishmaniasis is reported here for the first time. fifteen mongrel dogs were used in the present study. eight dogs were infected and seven were used as control. four of the control dogs were inoculated with spleen cells from non-infected hamsters. the eight mongrel dogs inoculated intravenously with amastigotes forms of leishmania chagasi evolved for periods as long as 25 months without any clinical characteristic sign of classica ...	1993	8107585
development of eosinophilia in dogs intradermically inoculated with sand fly saliva and leishmania (leishmania) chagasi stationary-phase promastigotes.	salivary gland lysates of the sand fly lutzomia longipalpis have been shown to enhance the infectivity of leishmania in mice. as shown herein, the simultaneous inoculation of leishmania chagasi stationary-phase promastigotes and l. longipalpis salivary gland lysate by the intradermal route in a group of mongrel dogs induced a statistically significant eosinophilia, in relation to dogs inoculated with leishmania or with salivary gland lysate only. these dogs had no evidence of infection, in spite ...	1993	8107586
the ld1 amplified element from leishmania infantum encodes a homolog of ribosomal protein l37.		1993	8114820
[the development of a new experimental model of pneumocystosis].	the corticosteroid tricort-40 (triamcinolone acetonide) was found to induce the reactivation of endogenous pneumocystic injection caused by p. carinii in wistar rats given 5-9 infections subcutaneously in median doses of 0.5-4.0 mg/kg at 6-22 days intervals each. manifest p. carinii infection in the animals was characterized by early detection of its agent (starting from week 2 of immunosuppression), a progression of the infection and its transition to the generalized stage. the combined use of ...	1993	8127267
immunological and histological study of t- and b-lymphocyte activity in canine visceral leishmaniosis.	lymphocyte activity during canine leishmaniosis was studied by histological and immunological methods in experimental and natural infections. eight dogs were inoculated with 5 x 10(7) promastigotes of leishmania infantum, lem 75, zimodeme mon-1, and maintained for 110 days post-infection. another eight dogs with advanced natural infection were identified by parasitological and serological methods. three techniques were used: the lymphocyte transformation test (ltt) to study t-cell activity, immu ...	1993	8128587
nucleotide sequence of a minicircle from leishmania infantum.		1993	8139625
evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the diagnosis of kala-azar in malda district (west bengal).	an immunological test based on indirect (plate) elisa has been successfully standardized and modified using promastigote soluble antigen. the test carried out on 813 subjects from a kala-azar endemic area (including parasitologically confirmed patients, subjects presenting with clinical symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis and endemic controls) and a non-endemic area (with diseases other than kala-azar and apparently normal subjects) was found to detect, specifically, antileishmanial antibodies. t ...	1993	8144206
canine pemphigus foliaceus associated with leishmaniasis.		1993	8310630
cutaneous spindle-cell pseudotumors due to mycobacterium gordonae and leishmania infantum. an immunophenotypic study.	we report two patients with aids who had cutaneous spindle-cell pseudotumors caused by leishmania infantum in one instance and by an atypical mycobacterium in the other. the lesions mimicked neoplasms with predominantly spindled macrophages, similar to those seen in the histoid variant of leprosy. this histoid reaction is known to be related to mycobacteria. to our knowledge, this is the first case of histoid reaction due to leishmania. in both cases, the histiocytic cells were positive for vime ...	1993	8311186
leishmania tropica and leishmania infantum responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in greece: sixteen autochthonous cases.		1993	8337723
isolation and characterization of a repetitive dna sequence from leishmania infantum: development of a visceral leishmaniasis polymerase chain reaction.	to construct a dna probe specific for protozoa that cause visceral leishmaniasis, we cloned pst i fragments of leishmania infantum genomic dna into a bluescript ii sk vector. a clone of 4.3 kb that contained a highly repetitive sequence was isolated and cut with three restriction enzymes: hae iii, rsa i, and sau 3a. after a new molecular cloning step, we isolated and sequenced a 140-basepair (bp) fragment. two oligonucleotides were synthesized to be used as primers for a polymerase chain reactio ...	1993	8372958
the epidemiology and surveillance of visceral leishmaniasis in the campania region of italy. the value of zymodeme typing.	although human visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a notifiable disease in italy, there is evidence that the actual number of cases is far higher than that notified. a programme for active surveillance of vl in the 14 italian endemic regions was launched by the istituto superiore di sanità. we report data collected during a 3-year period of active surveillance in campania, a south tyrrhenian region covering 4.5% of the italian territory. out of 120 clinically suspected cases referred to medical and d ...	1993	8405156
genomic organization and expression of two independent gene arrays coding for two antigenic acidic ribosomal proteins of leishmania.	in the present paper we describe the isolation and characterization of four novel genes of the parasitic protozoan leishmania infantum. these genes are organized as two independent gene clusters, and they are related by nucleotide sequence to eukaryotic genes encoding acidic ribosomal proteins. each gene cluster contains two tandemly linked genes coding for identical proteins. each of the proteins coded by the gene clusters (called lip and lip') are highly divergent in sequence, showing the char ...	1993	8408038
visceral leishmaniasis in desert storm veterans.		1993	8413469
determination of virulence and pathogenesis of a canine strain of leishmania leishmania infantum in hamsters and dogs.	visceral leishmaniasis was experimentally induced in hamsters by the intracardiac inoculation of 10(7) amastigotes of leishmania leishmania infantum of canine origin. at postinoculation (pi) days 7, 21, 42, and 63, hamsters were euthanatized. body weights and total parasite numbers of the liver and spleen were determined. gross and histologic evaluations of tissues were done. dogs also were inoculated iv with 10(8) amastigotes/kg of body weight. samples were obtained from dogs prior to infection ...	1993	8427454
in vivo induction of the nitric oxide pathway in hepatocytes after injection with irradiated malaria sporozoites, malaria blood parasites or adjuvants.	the mechanisms responsible for malarial immunity induced by repetitive injections of x-irradiated sporozoites have not been fully established. we demonstrate here that a single injection of irradiated sporozoites induced, as soon as 24 h after, a non-permissive state to hepatocyte reinfection with sporozoites in vitro. the same effect was observed when malarial blood forms, irradiated promastigotes of leishmania infantum, adjuvants (muramyl dipeptide, poly acidylic uridylic) or interferon-gamma ...	1993	8458376
comparative susceptibility of african green monkeys (cercopithecus aethiops) to experimental infection with leishmania leishmania donovani and leishmania leishmania infantum.	the leishmaniases are global health problems that affect both humans and animals. the availability of nonhuman primate models is desirable for such important areas as testing candidate vaccines and newly developed chemo- and immunotherapeutic agents. visceral leishmaniasis was experimentally induced in african green monkeys (cercopithecus aethiops) by intravenously inoculating 10(7) amastigotes/kg of body weight of either leishmania leishmania donovani of human origin (group 1) or l. l. infantum ...	1993	8459677
serological diagnosis of leishmaniasis: on detecting infection as well as disease.	serological tests are very frequently used in epidemiological surveys of leishmaniasis and other parasitoses. their sensitivity and specificity are generally defined with respect to parasitism and disease, rather than infection. the reason is that known positives are those individuals most likely to yield parasites, or who have distinctive clinical signs, and concomitantly high antibody titres. this paper investigates the performance of one serological method, the indirect fluorescent antibody t ...	1993	8519330
liposomal amphotericin b (ambisome) in mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis: a multi-centre trial.	thirty-one patients with visceral leishmaniasis (vl) caused by leishmania infantum received liposomal amphotericin b (ambisome) in a multi-centre study. ten immunocompetent patients (six children) received 1-1.38 mg/kg/day for 21 days, and ten (nine children) received 3 mg/kg/day for 10 days. all were cured without significant adverse events and without relapse during 12-24 months of follow-up. eleven immunocompromised adults, including seven co-infected with hiv (four with aids) received 100 mg ...	1994	8153291
human visceral leishmaniasis in alpes-maritimes, france: epidemiological characteristics for the period 1985-1992.	in 8 years (1985-1992), 65 cases of human visceral leishmaniasis (hvl) have been diagnosed in the department of alpes-maritimes, france, 56 of them having been infected locally. the annual frequency has increased from 3 cases in 1985 to 15 cases in 1992. there is a low rate of paediatric cases (29%) and a predominance of males among adult cases (85%). since 1986, 19 cases of co-infection with leishmania and human immunodeficiency virus 1 have been reported, corresponding to 40% of adult cases an ...	1994	8153991
antibodies to leishmania donovani infantum heat-shock protein 70 in human visceral leishmaniasis.		1994	8169424
comparison of pcr with direct examination of bone marrow aspiration, myeloculture, and serology for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised patients.	a pcr assay amplifying a repeated sequence from the leishmania infantum genome was compared with direct examination of bone marrow aspirate, myeloculture, and serology for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised patients. of 73 patients living in an area endemic for leishmaniasis and where visceral leishmaniasis was suspected by physicians, only 10 had an indisputable diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. none of the diagnostic tests performed in the study achieved 100% sensi ...	1994	8195388
didelphis marsupialis, an important reservoir of trypanosoma (schizotrypanum) cruzi and leishmania (leishmania) chagasi in colombia.	the role of didelphis marsupialis as a reservoir of zoonotic hemoflagellates was examined in two ecologically distinct settings in colombia. while 72% (12 of 18) of the opossums collected in the tropical rain forest harbored trypanosoma cruzi, other mammals in the area had lower infection rates: 1.3% (proechymis semispinosus [spiny rat]; 13% tylomys mirae [climbing rat]; and 6% rattus rattus). trypanosoma cruzi isolates from d. marsupialis were similar to zymodeme 1 (z1), and two of four phenoty ...	1994	8203703
putrescine uptake inhibition by aromatic diamidines in leishmania infantum promastigotes.	the effect of a series of aromatic diamidines has been tested on leishmania infantum promastigotes in both culture growth and putrescine uptake. the ec50 values calculated by means of dose-response curves were 45, 80, 165, 259 and 600 microm for 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (dapi), dibromo propamidine, pentamidine 2-hydroxy stilbamidine and stilbamidine, respectively, although no inhibitory effects on cell growth were found at 1 mm propamidine, phenamidine and amicarbalide. when these compound ...	1994	8204103
binding of c-reactive protein to leishmania.		1994	8206251
oral leishmaniasis and kaposi's sarcoma in an aids patient.	in the mediterranean basin area, visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic disease caused by leishmania donovani infantum. this study describes the clinical and pathological features of one patient with aids who had oral (tonsillar) leishmaniasis, caused by a viscerotropic zymodeme, concurrent with a kaposi's sarcoma and with a cmv infection.	1994	8138981
phlebotomus perniciosus newstead, 1911, infection by various zymodemes of the leishmania infantum complex in the granada province (southern spain).	this study presents the results of the isoenzymatic characterization of 21 strains of leishmania of sandfly (p. perniciosus) origin from the torvizcón area. it forms an integral part of a larger eco-epidemiological study of the alpujarras (granada province, southern spain). the strains analysed were shown to belong to the l. infantum complex based on the results of 15 enzymes. the electrophoretic profiles for the enzymes mdh, g6pd and np1 have permitted the identification of four zymodemes: gr-1 ...	1994	8070958
could infected drug-users be potential leishmania infantum reservoirs?		1994	8086149
[leishmaniasis in karamay. xiv. identification of promastigote isolates from naturally infected phlebotomus major wui].	phlebotomus major wui, an anthropophilic species, was predominant among sandflies in karamay, xinjiang of china. the females of this species collected in the wild and houses were detected to be infected with promastigotes. three isolates of promastigotes obtained from p. major wui were inoculated intraperitoneally and subcutaneously into normal hamsters or balb/c mice which developed visceral leishmaniasis later. the mean size of amastigotes in hamster viscera (smear observation) artificially in ...	1994	7720197
[the host-opportunistic protozoa system. the dissemination of pneumocystis infection in white rats under the influence of drug-induced and biological immunosuppression].	the main purpose of the present study is the investigation of relationships of pneumocystis carinii with the organism of white rat wistar, which is natural carrier of this parasite. the series of experiments has shown that the immunosuppressor tricort-40 (corticosteroid of prolonged activity) in a short time reactivates the pneumocystis infection. the parasites have been observed in a great number in the lungs and rarely in the liver. the reactivation and dissemination of the pneumocystis infect ...	1994	7824287
leishmania gymnodactyli and leishmania infantum minicircles contain the same guide rna genes as do minicircles of leishmania tarentolae.		1994	7838177
exploitation of parasite-derived antigen in therapeutic success against canine visceral leishmaniosis. veterinary group of lupino.	in an attempt to obtain therapeutic success against canine visceral leishmaniosis, the potential of lif2 antigen (leishmania infantum-derived fraction 2, 94-67 kda), given alone or in combination with the chemotherapeutic agent n-methylglucamine antimonate, was compared with conventional chemotherapy with that drug. absence of any parasite in direct microscopic examination of bone-marrow aspirates in treated dogs was considered a parasitological cure, i.e. therapeutic success. results showed tha ...	1994	7839561