What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Sent on Friday, 2010 Jun 25
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 - 7 of 7

1.	Acta Derm Venereol. 2010 Jul;90(4):418-9. Cutaneous Lymphoid Hyperplasia Associated with Leishmania panamensis Infection. Recalcati S, Vezzoli P, Girgenti V, Venegoni L, Veraldi S, Berti E. U.O. Dermatologia, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Dipartimento di Anestesiologia, Terapia Intensiva e Scienze Dermatologiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Pace 9 , IT-20122 Milan, Italy.
	PMID: 20574614 [PubMed - in process]

2.	J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Jun 24. [Epub ahead of print] Vaccination with TAT-Antigen Fusion Protein Induces Protective, CD8(+) T Cell-Mediated Immunity Against Leishmania Major. Kronenberg K, Brosch S, Butsch F, Tada Y, Shibagaki N, Udey MC, von Stebut E. Department of Dermatology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany. Abstract In murine leishmaniasis, healing is mediated by IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Thus, an efficacious vaccine should induce Th1 and Tc1 cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with exogenous proteins primarily induce strong CD4-dependent immunity; induction of CD8 responses has proven to be difficult. We evaluated the immunogenicity of fusion proteins comprising the protein transduction domain of HIV-1 TAT and the Leishmania antigen LACK (Leishmania homolog of receptors for activated C kinase), as TAT-fusion proteins facilitate major histocompatibility complex class I-dependent antigen presentation. In vitro, TAT-LACK-pulsed DCs induced stronger proliferation of Leishmania-specific CD8(+) T cells compared with DCs incubated with LACK alone. Vaccination with TAT-LACK-pulsed DCs or fusion proteins plus adjuvant in vivo significantly improved disease outcome in Leishmania major-infected mice and was superior to vaccination with DCs treated with LACK alone. Vaccination with DC+TAT-LACK resulted in stronger proliferation of CD8(+) T cells when compared with immunization with DC+LACK. Upon depletion of CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells, TAT-LACK-mediated protection was lost. TAT-LACK-pulsed IL-12p40-deficient DCs did not promote protection in vivo. In summary, these data show that TAT-fusion proteins are superior in activating Leishmania-specific Tc1 cells when compared with antigen alone and suggest that IL-12-dependent preferential induction of antigen-specific CD8(+) cells promotes significant protection against this important human pathogen.Journal of Investigative Dermatology advance online publication, 24 June 2010; doi:10.1038/jid.2010.171.
	PMID: 20574442 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

3.	J Clin Microbiol. 2010 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print] Low specificities of HIV diagnostic tests caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense sleeping sickness. Lejon V, Mumba Ngoyi D, Ilunga M, Beelaert G, Maes I, Büscher P, Fransen K. Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Parasitology, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Programme National de Lutte contre la Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine (PNLTHA), Mbuji Mayi, East Kasaï, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Department of Microbiology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. Abstract BACKGROUND: Accuracy of HIV diagnostic tests in tropical infections is poorly documented. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is characterized by a polyclonal B-cell activation, constituting a risk for false positive reactions in diagnostic tests, including HIV tests. METHODS: A retrospective HIV diagnostic test accuracy study was performed on 360 human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) patients infected with T.b. gambiense before treatment, and 163 patients 2 years after successful treatment in Mbuji Mayi, East Kasai, DR Congo. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of individual tests and algorithms consisting of 3 rapid tests were determined. RESULTS: Sensitivity for all tests was 100% (11/11). Low specificity (96.3%, 335/348) and PPV (45.8%, 11/24) of a classical seroconfirmation strategy (Vironostika ELISA followed by Line Immunoassay) complicated determination of the HIV status, which had to be determined by PCR. Specificities of rapid diagnostic tests were 39.1% for Determine (136/348), 85.3-92.8% (297/348-323/348) for VIKIA, Immunoflow, Doublecheck and Bioline, and 96.6-98.3% (336/348-342/348) for UniGold, Oraquick and STAT-PAK. Specificity for Vironostika was 67.5% (235/348). PPVs ranged between 4.9 and 64.7%. Combining 3 different rapid tests resulted in specificities of 98.3-100% (342-348/348) and PPVs of 64.7-100% (11/17-11/11). In cured HAT patients, specificities were significantly higher for Vironostika, Determine, Unigold and Immunoflow. CONCLUSIONS: T.b. gambiense infection decreases the specificity of antibody detection tests for HIV diagnosis. Unless tests have been validated for interference with HAT, HIV diagnosis in untreated HAT using classical algorithms should be avoided. Specific, validated combinations of 3 HIV rapid tests can increase specificity.
	PMID: 20573878 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

4.	J Parasitol. 2010 Apr;96(2):353-8. Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi in raccoons from Tennessee. Maloney J, Newsome A, Huang J, Kirby J, Kranz M, Wateska A, Dunlap B, Yabsley MJ, Dunn JR, Jones TF, Moncayo AC. Vector-borne Diseases Section, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee 37216, USA. Abstract Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas' disease. Autochthonous human and canine transmission of T. cruzi has been documented in Tennessee, but little is known about its ecology, including the prevalence of T. cruzi among wildlife in Tennessee. Serum samples from 706 raccoons (Procyon lotor) from 10 counties in the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains ecoregions of eastern Tennessee were tested for antibodies reactive with T. cruzi using the indirect fluorescent antibody assay. Two hundred six (29.2%) samples were seropositive, with 9 counties yielding positive samples (range 14.6-63.6%). Significantly more raccoons from rural habitats (35.1%) were found positive for T. cruzi exposure than were those from suburban habitats (23.1%, P < 0.001). Land cover class was not associated with seropositivity status (P = 0.441), even though deciduous forest was the most common site from where raccoons were trapped and the most common site of positive raccoons in rural areas (42%). Interestingly, age was positively associated with seropositivity. Raccoons older than 1 yr (adults) were 40.1% seropositive compared to 12.2% of those less than 1 yr (juveniles; P < 0.001). Female adults were significantly more likely to be exposed to T. cruzi than were male adult raccoons (P < 0.001). No significant seroprevalence difference was seen among male and female juveniles. This study contributes to understanding the dynamics of T. cruzi exposure within raccoon populations in Tennessee. The importance of habitat (rural vs. suburban) and microhabitat (dens) in risk of exposure to these populations is also discussed.
	PMID: 20001097 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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5.	Med Hypotheses. 2010 Apr;74(4):676-8. Epub 2009 Dec 3. Do long-chain unsaturated fatty acids function as endogenous anti-trypanosomal molecules? Das UN. UND Life Sciences, 13800 Fairhill Road, #321, Shaker Heights, OH 44120, USA. Abstract Trypanosomiasis is common in Africa and South America. The surface of trypanosomes is covered by glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) that contains the fatty acid myristate (14:0) as its lipid moiety that is essential for its survival. Myristic acid, being a saturated fatty acid, is resistant to peroxidation. Hence, I propose that replacement of myristic acid of VSG-GPI of trypanosomes by unsaturated fatty acids may render them unviable due to the ease with which the latter undergo peroxidation. In addition, unsaturated fatty acids could kill trypanosomes by (1) activation of macrophages and release of reactive oxygen species; (2) high Ca(2+) influx that may be lethal; (3) alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential and disruption of energy generation; and (4) direct disruption of the cell membrane. If this hypothesis proves to be correct, unsaturated fatty acids and its analogues could form a new approach to the management of trypanosomiasis and other intracellular parasitic infections. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
	PMID: 19962250 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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6.	J Parasitol. 2010 Apr;96(2):448-50. Blood parasites of frogs from an equatorial African montane forest in western Uganda. Readel AM, Goldberg TL. Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. readel@wisc.edu Abstract In a survey of blood parasites in Ugandan frogs, 30 (17%) of 180 frogs were infected with at least 1 species of Hepatozoon or Trypanosoma, or with microfilariae. There were significant differences in the prevalence of parasitism among species, with parasitemia detected in only 3 of 9 species. The intensity of blood parasite infection ranged from 1 to 1,080 infected cells per 5,000 cells examined. Seasonal changes in the prevalence and intensity of parasitemia were not observed, nor was there any association between parasitemia and infection with the pandemic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
	PMID: 19958047 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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7.	J Parasitol. 2010 Apr;96(2):371-6. Virulence and vertical transmission of two genotypically and geographically diverse isolates of Trypanosoma cruz i in mice. Hall CA, Pierce EM, Wimsatt AN, Hobby-Dolbeer T, Meers JB. Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia 30149, USA. chall@berry.edu Abstract Although principally considered a vector-borne disease, the vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi from mother to child is now recognized as a significant and increasing threat to human health. Despite its importance, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the relationships between genotype, virulence, and the extent of vertical transmission of this pathogen. To better understand these relationships, we describe the comparison of a South American-derived Type I isolate (BS) of T. cruzi to a Type IIa isolate (SCI) of from North America for virulence and frequency of vertical transmission in BALB/c and outbred mice. Assays performed in BALB/c mice conclusively confirm the comparatively greater virulence of the BS isolate. Breeding experiments demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between virulence and the frequency of vertical transmission, with the pups born to Type IIa SCI-infected female mice testing positive at twice the frequency (66%) as those infected with the Type I BS (33%). Experiments carried out in BALB/c mice confirmed that an active infection with the SCI isolate generated immunity against a BS challenge. These results confirm that significant differences in the extent of vertical transfer can exist between T. cruzi isolates and contradicts the hypothesis that such transmission is a function of elevated maternal blood parasitemias. This study also provides support for some of the current hypotheses on attenuation during a pathogen's evolution from vector-borne to vertical transmission. We suggest that T. cruzi may provide a useful model for the study of the adaptive dynamics of a zoonotic human pathogen.
	PMID: 19954258 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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