What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

This message contains My NCBI what's new results from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).
Do not reply directly to this message.

Sender's message:

Sent on Thursday, 2011 Jan 13
Search kinetoplastids OR kinetoplastid OR Kinetoplastida OR "trypanosoma brucei" OR leishmania OR brucei OR leishmaniasis OR "African trypanosomiasis"
Click here to view complete results in PubMed. (Results may change over time.)
To unsubscribe from these e-mail updates click here.

PubMed Results

Items 1 - 7 of 7

1.	J Clin Immunol. 2011 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print] Immunomodulatory Properties of Borage (Echium amoenum) on BALB/c Mice Infected with Leishmania major. Hosseini N, Abolhassani M. Hybridoma Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran. Abstract Leishmaniasis is caused by parasitic protozoa transmitted by the bite of a female sand fly and is currently endemic in 88 countries. BALB/c mice are highly susceptible to the infection with the parasite Leishmania major, and this susceptibility has been attributed, in part, to the expansion of Th2 cells, production of their cytokines, and downregulation of Th1 cytokine, interferon gamma (IFN-γ). In this report, we used both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Iranian borage (Echium amoenum Fisch & C.A. Mey) for treatment of L. major infection in BALB/c mice. We found that both extracts had immunomodulatory properties and increased the level of IFN-γ and lowered the parasite burden in the proximal lymph nodes and prevented the necrosis of the footpad as compared with the untreated infected mice. These results may provide a basis for further studies directed toward the use of the Iranian borage against L. major infection.
	PMID: 21225450 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

2.	Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2010 Dec;105(8):1065-7. Copulatory courtship song in Lutzomyia migonei (Diptera: Psychodidae). Vigoder FM, Souza NA, Peixoto AA. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos. Abstract Lutzomyia migonei is a vector of leishmaniasis with a wide distribution in South America, which could favour population differentiation and speciation. Cryptic species of the Lutzomyia longipalpis complex, the widely distributed sand fly vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America, have previously been shown to display distinct copulation songs. We found that Lu. migonei males also produce a song during copulation. This "lovesong" presents short trains (6-8 pulses) with an inter-pulse interval around 26 ms and is potentially involved in cryptic female choice and insemination success.
	PMID: 21225208 [PubMed - in process]

3.	Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2010 Dec;105(8):1033-9. The molecular detection of different Leishmania species within sand flies from a cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis sympatric area in Southeastern Brazil. Saraiva L, Andrade Filho JD, Silva Sde O, Andrade AS, Melo MN. Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Abstract Over the last 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of leishmaniasis cases in Brazil. Belo Horizonte (BH) is one of the most highly populated Brazilian cities that is affected by visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The health services in BH are coordinated by a central nucleus that is subdivided into nine sanitary districts. Historically, the highest level of human VL cases was found in the northeast sanitary district (NSD). The objective of our study was to detect Leishmania infection in the phlebotomine sand flies collected in the NSD by dissection and molecular approaches. Following the occurrence of human VL cases in 2005, entomological captures were performed from July 2006-June 2007. Out of the 245 sand flies dissected, only three Lutzomyia longipalpis spp contained flagellates. The female sand flies were grouped into 120 pools according to date, collection site and species, with approximately 10 individual sand flies in each pool. Subsquently, the DNA was extracted and Leishmania spp and other parasites were detected and identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorfism. Leishmania infantum was present in at least 19% of the Lu. longipalpis collected, in 3.8% of the Nyssomiya whitmani collected, in 33.3% of the Evandromiya termitophila collected and in 14.3% of the Nyssomiya intermedia collected. When the females of the cortelezzii complex were compared with each other, 3.2% of the females were infected with Leishmania braziliensis, whereas 3.2% of the females were infected with trypanosomatids.
	PMID: 21225201 [PubMed - in process]

4.	FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2011 Jan 11. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00262.x. [Epub ahead of print] Cyclic-nucleotide signalling in protozoa. Gould MK, de Koning HP. Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow. Abstract Compared to the impressive progress in understanding signal transduction pathways and mechanisms in mammalian systems, advances in protozoan signalling processes, including cyclic nucleotide metabolism, has been very slow. This is in large part connected to the fact that the components of these pathways are very different in the protozoan parasites, as confirmed by the recently completed genome. For instance, kinetoplastids have no equivalents to the mammalian class I adenylyl cyclases in their genomes, nor any of the subunits of the associated G-proteins. The cyclases in kinetoplastid parasites contain a single trans-membrane domain, a conserved intracellular catalytic domain and a highly variable extracellular domain - consistent with the expression of multiple receptor-activated cyclases - but no receptor ligands, agonists or antagonists have been identified. Apicomplexan adenylyl and guanylyl cyclases are even more unusual, potentially being bifunctional harbouring either a putative ion channel (adenylyl cyclase) or a P-type ATPase-like domain (guanylyl cyclase) alongside the catalytic region. Phosphodiesterases and cyclic-nucleotide-activated protein kinases are essentially conserved in protozoa, although mostly insensitive to inhibitors of the mammalian proteins. Some of the phosphodiesterases have now been validated as promising drug targets. In the following manuscript we will summarise the existing literature on cAMP and cGMP in protozoa: cyclases, phosphodiesterases and cyclic-nucleotide-dependent kinases. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
	PMID: 21223322 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

5.	East Mediterr Health J. 2010 Oct;16(10):1055-8. Role of neutrophils in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Daboul MW. Daboul Medical Laboratory, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. idaboul@scs-net.org Abstract Neutrophils are always present in the cytomorphologic process of leishmaniasis but their role is still not fully understood. Microscopic examination was done on smears from 56 cases of clinically diagnosed cutaneous leishmaniasis. Neutrophils were the predominant cells in the smear (> 35% of the total cell count including neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes) in 7% of cases, a minority (10%-35% of total cells) in 36% of cases and rare (< 10% of total cells) in 57% of cases. Microscope images confirmed that neutrophils appeared to have an important role in leishmania elimination through phagocytosis of amastigotes in the later stages of the disease process.
	PMID: 21222422 [PubMed - in process]

6.	East Mediterr Health J. 2010 Oct;16(10):1050-4. Integrated visceral leishmaniasis surveillance system in primary care for children in Meshkin-Shahr district, north-western Islamic Republic of Iran. Mohebali M, Edrissian GH, Shirzadi MR, Hosseingholizadeh G, Pashaei MH, Ganji A, Zarei Z, Kousha A, Akhoundi B, Hajjaran H, Malekafzali H. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, National Institute of Health Research of Islamic Republic of Iran. mohebali@tums.ac.ir Abstract In 2001 a visceral leishmaniasis (VL) surveillance system was set up for children aged < or = 12 years in the primary health system in Meshkin-Shahr district of Ardebil province, north-western Islamic Republic of Iran. All cases with clinical signs and symptoms of VL and positive by the direct agglutination test were referred for physical examination and treatment. The mean annual incidence of VL decreased significantly from 1.88 before (1985-2000) to 0.77 per 1000 child population after the intervention (2001-07). In a control area with no surveillance, it increased from 0.11 to 0.23 per 1000. Early detection of VL using practical serological tests and timely treatment of cases could decrease the mortality and morbidity rates of VL in endemic areas.
	PMID: 21222421 [PubMed - in process]

7.	Semin Immunopathol. 2010 Sep;32(3):289-96. Epub 2010 Jul 7. In vivo imaging of infection immunology--4I's! Garside P, Brewer J. Division of Immunology, Infection & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 120 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK. paul.garside@clinmed.gla.ac.uk Abstract As predicted by the red queen hypothesis, microbial pathogens are probably the major reason for the evolution of the immune system (Paterson et al., Nature 464:275-278, 2010). In general, at the population level, i.e., for most of us, most of the time, the immune response to infection is highly effective. However, there remain significant challenges with particularly intransigent organisms or those that are crossing species barriers. Thus, in some cases, efforts to develop new and effective vaccines and drugs have met with limited success. To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, "I keep six honest serving men--they taught me all I know; their names are what, and why, and when and how and where and who". Addressing these key tenets will be key to understanding the interaction between infection and the immune system. This is particularly important, as the early events during induction of an immune response influence the acquisition of effector function and development of memory responses. Our understanding of the interactions of pathogens with the host immune system has largely been derived through in vitro or static in vivo study. This is a significant issue, as the component parts of the immune system do not work in isolation, and their interactions occur in distinct and specialized micro- and macro anatomical locations that can only be assessed in the physiological context, dynamically in vivo. To this end, the increasing availability of genetically manipulable pathogens and high resolution, real-time in vivo imaging over the preceding 5 years has greatly enhanced our ability to understand and evaluate factors involved in host-pathogen interactions in vivo. This article will review the current status of this area, highlight why progress has been faster with some pathogens and tissues (e.g., protozoa and accessible site such as skin), and speculate on what recent developments in biology and imaging will tell us about pathogen-specific immune responses in the future. This will be done by following the chronological development of the infection process from invasion, to recognition, and dissemination.
	PMID: 20607240 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
	Related citations