What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Sent on Saturday, 2012 May 19
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.	PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36242. Epub 2012 May 11. The Genetic Structure of Leishmania infantum Populations in Brazil and Its Possible Association with the Transmission Cycle of Visceral Leishmaniasis. Ferreira GE, Dos Santos BN, Dorval ME, Ramos TP, Porrozzi R, Peixoto AA, Cupolillo E. Source Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Abstract Leishmania infantum is the etiologic agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas, Mediterranean basin and West and Central Asia. Although the geographic structure of L. infantum populations from the Old World have been described, few studies have addressed the population structure of this parasite in the Neotropical region. We employed 14 microsatellites to analyze the population structure of the L. infantum strains isolated from humans and dogs from most of the Brazilian states endemic for VL and from Paraguay. The results indicate a low genetic diversity, high inbreeding estimates and a depletion of heterozygotes, which together indicate a predominantly clonal breeding system, but signs of sexual events are also present. Three populations were identified from the clustering analysis, and they were well supported by F statistics inferences and partially corroborated by distance-based. POP1 (111 strains) was observed in all but one endemic area. POP2 (31 strains) is also well-dispersed, but it was the predominant population in Mato Grosso (MT). POP3 (31 strains) was less dispersed, and it was observed primarily in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). Strains originated from an outbreak of canine VL in Southern Brazil were grouped in POP1 with those from Paraguay, which corroborates the hypothesis of dispersal from Northeastern Argentina and Paraguay. The distribution of VL in MS seems to follow the west-east construction of the Bolivia-Brazil pipeline from Corumbá municipality. This may have resulted in a strong association of POP3 and Lutzomyia cruzi, which is the main VL vector in Corumbá, and a dispersion of this population in this region that was shaped by human interference. This vector also occurs in MT and may influence the structure of POP2. This paper presents significant advances in the understanding of the population structure of L. infantum in Brazil and its association with eco-epidemiological aspects of VL.
	PMID: 22606248 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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2.	BMJ Case Rep. 2012 May 8;2012. pii: bcr1120115199. doi: 10.1136/bcr.11.2011.5199. Visceral leishmaniasis in immunosuppressed Caucasian patient. Toqeer M, Rahman N, Whitehead MW, Lockwood D. Source Gastroenterology Department, Conquest Hospital, St Leonard's On Sea, UK. Abstract A 64-year-old man was admitted with fever, weight loss, fatigue and night sweats. He was known to have rheumatoid arthritis and had been taking methotrexate for 1 year. He had worked in Saudi Arabia until 1994 and had been living in Spain for 6 months every year. Clinical examination showed an enlarged spleen. Routine investigations showed pancytopaenia. Serial blood cultures were negative. CT scan confirmed splenomegaly and was otherwise unremarkable. Bone marrow biopsy revealed Leishmania amastigote consistent with a diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. After discussing with the hospital for tropical diseases (HTD), he was started on liposomal amphotericin B. Following two infusions of amphotericin B, he started improving as his fever, night sweats and weakness had settled. He was then discharged and followed up in HTD clinic 4 weeks later where he was found to be consistently improving.
	PMID: 22605859 [PubMed - in process]
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3.	Trials. 2012 May 17;13(1):58. [Epub ahead of print] Thermotherapy. An alternative for the treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. López L, Robayo M, Vargas M, Velez I. Abstract ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Pentavalent antimonials (Sb5) and miltefosine are the first-line drugs for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia; however, toxicity and treatment duration negatively impact compliance and cost, justifying an active search for better therapeutic options. We compared the efficacy and safety of thermotherapy and Meglumine antimoniate for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. METHOD: An open randomized Phase III clinical trial was performed in five military health centres. located in northwestern, central and southern Colombia. Volunteers with parasitological positive diagnosis (Giemsa-stained smears) of cutaneous leishmaniasis were included. A single thermotherapy session involving the application of 50degreesC at the center and active edge of each lesion. Meglumine antimoniate was administered intramuscularly at a dose of 20 mg Sb5/kg weight/day for 20 days. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable. The efficacy of thermotherapy was 64% (86/134 patients) by protocol and 58% (86/149) by intention-to-treat. For the Meglumine antimoniate group, efficacy by protocol was 85% (103/121 patients) and 72% (103/143) by intention-to-treat, The efficacy between the treatments was statistically significant (p 0.01 and <0.001) for analysis by intention to treat and by protocol, respectively. There was no difference between the therapeutic response with either treatment regardless of the Leishmania species responsible for infection. The side effects of Meglumine antimoniate included myalgia, arthralgia, headache and fever. Regarding thermotherapy, the only side effect was pain at the lesion area four days after the initiation of treatment. CONCLUSION: Although the efficacy rate of Meglumine antimoniate was greater than that of thermotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, the side effects were also greater. Those factors, added to the increased costs, the treatment adherence problems and the progressive lack of therapeutic response, make us consider thermotherapy as a first line treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Registered ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00471705.
	PMID: 22594858 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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4.	Mil Med. 2012 Apr;177(4):460-6. Leishmania detection in sand flies using a field-deployable real-time analytic system. McAvin JC, Swanson KI, Chan AS, Quintana M, Coleman RE. Source Division of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. Abstract We describe here the development and evaluation of advanced vector surveillance analytic technologies for real-time leishmaniasis risk assessment. Leishmania genus and visceral leishmaniasis causative agent--specific dual fluorogenic-probe hydrolysis (TaqMan), thermally stable (freeze-dried) polymerase chain reaction assays were developed using field-durable analytic instrumentation. In laboratory testing with a panel of diverse Leishmania species from culture and infected sand flies, the sensitivity and specificity of both assays were 100% concordant with DNA sequencing. In specificity testing with Leishmania genetic near neighbors, clinically significant organisms, and human genomic DNA, no detectable fluorescence above background was observed. Field evaluation was conducted in southern Iraq using wild sand flies. In field testing, Leishmania genus assay was 100% sensitive and 96% specific with a single false-positive result. The visceral leishmaniasis genotype assay was 100% sensitive and 100% specific compared to DNA sequencing. Thermally stable polymerase chain reaction assays vastly simplified transportation and storage. Assay preparation and analysis required less than 2 hours.
	PMID: 22594139 [PubMed - in process]
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