What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Sent on Friday, 2009 Nov 13
Search kinetoplastids OR kinetoplastid OR Kinetoplastida OR "trypanosoma brucei" OR leishmania OR brucei OR leishmaniasis OR "African trypanosomiasis"
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PubMed Results

Items 1 -4 of 4

1.	Geospat Health. 2009 Nov;4(1):115-27. Risk assessment for canine leishmaniasis spreading in the north of Italy. Morosetti G, Bongiorno G, Beran B, Scalone A, Moser J, Gramiccia M, Gradoni L, Maroli M. Veterinary Services of Bolzano, Health Department of South Tyrol, Italy. The incidence of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis has not only been recognized but is, in fact, increasing in territories of northern continental Italy previously regarded as non-endemic. Recent findings of sporadic autochthonous canine infections and the presence of phlebotomine vectors in some provinces of north-eastern Italy have stimulated risk assessment for the spreading of leishmaniasis in the autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol, the northernmost territory of the Italian eastern Alps. In July 2008, 61 phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) were caught and identified as Phlebotomus perniciosus and Sergentomyia minuta. This is the first record in South Tyrol of P. perniciosus, the most competent vector of Leishmania infantum in Mediterranean countries. Leishmania serology on local dogs kept in kennels gave negative results, while only imported canine leishmaniasis cases were reported by local veterinaries through a questionnaire survey. Bio-geographic aspects and epidemiological consequences are analyzed in relation with the risk of leishmaniasis introduction into the area.
	PMID: 19908194 [PubMed - in process]
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	Publication Types: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

2.	Dermatology. 2009 Nov 12. [Epub ahead of print] Localized Cutaneous Leishmaniasis due to Leishmaniainfantum in a Patient Treated with Infliximab. Hakimi S, Rivière S, Del Giudice P, Dereure J, Le Quellec A. Service de Médecine Interne A, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. We report the first case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a patient treated with infliximab. The species was Leishmania infantum, agent of both cutaneous leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred after the 9th infusion of infliximab in a patient who was suffering from ankylosing spondylitis. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.
	PMID: 19907139 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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3.	J Biol Chem. 2009 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print] Leishmania UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase:the missing link in galactose salvage? Damerow S, Lamerz AC, Haselhorst T, Fuhring J, Zarnovican P, von Itzstein M, Routier FH. Hannover Medical School, Germany; The Leishmania parasite glycocalyx is rich in galactose-containing glycoconjugates that are synthesized by specific glycosyltransferases which use UDP-galactose as a glycosyl donor. UDP-galactose biosynthesis is thought to be predominantly a de novo process involving epimerization of the abundant nucleotide sugar UDP-glucose by the UDP-glucose 4-epimerase, although galactose salvage from the environment has been demonstrated for L. major. Here we present the characterization of a L. major UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase able to reversibly activate galactose-1-phosphate into UDP-galactose thus proving the existence of the Isselbacher salvage pathway in this parasite. The ordered bisubstrate mechanism and high affinity of the enzyme for UTP seems to favor the synthesis of nucleotide sugar rather than their pyrophospholysis. Although L. major UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase preferentially activates galactose-1-phosphate and glucose-1-phosphate, the enzyme is able to act on a variety of hexose-1-phosphates as well as pentose-1-phosphates but not hexosamine-1-phosphates and hence presents a broad in vitro specificity. The newly identified enzyme exhibits a low but significant homology with UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylases and conserved in particular is the pyrophosphorylase consensus sequence and residues involved in nucleotide and phosphate binding. Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments confirm the importance of these moieties for substrate binding. The described leishmanial enzyme is closely related to plant UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylases and presents a similar substrate specificity suggesting their common origin.
	PMID: 19906649 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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4.	Br J Dermatol. 2009 Nov 10. [Epub ahead of print] Resolving lesions in human cutaneous leishmaniasis predominantly harbour CXCR3-positive Th1/Tc1 cells. Geiger B, Wenzel J, Hantschke M, Haase I, Ständer S, von Stebut E. Department of Dermatology, Universitätsmedizin, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany. Abstract Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an epidemic disease with millions of affected individuals worldwide. Treatment options have several side effects and a vaccine does not exist at present. Objectives: To translate information about protection against CL from mice to man, we studied the local immune response in CL skin biopsies and correlated these findings with clinical information. Patients/Methods: The frequency of inflammatory cells was determined in skin biopsies of 20 patients diagnosed with CL using immunohistochemistry. In addition, the nature of the resulting adaptive immune response was assessed by (double-) immunostaining against CD4 and CXCR3 (Th1)/CCR4 (Th2). Results: All lesions consisted of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, B cells and CD68(+) macrophages. CD1a(+) epidermal Langerhans cells were absent above the centre of the lesions, but normally distributed in the surrounding tissue. Mast cell and CD56(+) NK cell numbers were not affected. Interestingly, CCR4(+) Th2 cells were not detected in any of the 20 samples. In contrast, the number of infiltrating CXCR3(+) cells was high and the majority of these were CD4(+) or CD8(+) indicating that they represent IFNgamma-producing Th1/Tc1 cells. Finally, these findings did not correlate with clinical information about the country where infection was acquired, age, or gender. However, lesions that already persisted for more than 6 months contained fewer CXCR3(+) CD4 and CD8 T cells than those younger than 6 months. Conclusions: Our data about the inflammatory infiltrate of human CL lesions underline the relevance of findings obtained in experimental models. Both Th1 and Tc1 cells appear to be critical for healing in CL in mouse and man.
	PMID: 19906074 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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