What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Sent on Thursday, 2012 June 14
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 - 10 of 12

1.	PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e35671. Epub 2012 May 31. Leishmaniasis Worldwide and Global Estimates of Its Incidence. Alvar J, Vélez ID, Bern C, Herrero M, Desjeux P, Cano J, Jannin J, den Boer M; the WHO Leishmaniasis Control Team. Source Department for the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (HTM/NTD/IDM), Leishmaniasis Control Program, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Abstract As part of a World Health Organization-led effort to update the empirical evidence base for the leishmaniases, national experts provided leishmaniasis case data for the last 5 years and information regarding treatment and control in their respective countries and a comprehensive literature review was conducted covering publications on leishmaniasis in 98 countries and three territories (see 'Leishmaniasis Country Profiles Text S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, S11, S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S23, S24, S25, S26, S27, S28, S29, S30, S31, S32, S33, S34, S35, S36, S37, S38, S39, S40, S41, S42, S43, S44, S45, S46, S47, S48, S49, S50, S51, S52, S53, S54, S55, S56, S57, S58, S59, S60, S61, S62, S63, S64, S65, S66, S67, S68, S69, S70, S71, S72, S73, S74, S75, S76, S77, S78, S79, S80, S81, S82, S83, S84, S85, S86, S87, S88, S89, S90, S91, S92, S93, S94, S95, S96, S97, S98, S99, S100, S101'). Additional information was collated during meetings conducted at WHO regional level between 2007 and 2011. Two questionnaires regarding epidemiology and drug access were completed by experts and national program managers. Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis incidence ranges were estimated by country and epidemiological region based on reported incidence, underreporting rates if available, and the judgment of national and international experts. Based on these estimates, approximately 0.2 to 0.4 cases and 0.7 to 1.2 million VL and CL cases, respectively, occur each year. More than 90% of global VL cases occur in six countries: India, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Brazil. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is more widely distributed, with about one-third of cases occurring in each of three epidemiological regions, the Americas, the Mediterranean basin, and western Asia from the Middle East to Central Asia. The ten countries with the highest estimated case counts, Afghanistan, Algeria, Colombia, Brazil, Iran, Syria, Ethiopia, North Sudan, Costa Rica and Peru, together account for 70 to 75% of global estimated CL incidence. Mortality data were extremely sparse and generally represent hospital-based deaths only. Using an overall case-fatality rate of 10%, we reach a tentative estimate of 20,000 to 40,000 leishmaniasis deaths per year. Although the information is very poor in a number of countries, this is the first in-depth exercise to better estimate the real impact of leishmaniasis. These data should help to define control strategies and reinforce leishmaniasis advocacy.
	PMID: 22693548 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

2.	PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e35085. Epub 2012 May 31. Translational Control through eIF2alpha Phosphorylation during the Leishmania Differentiation Process. Cloutier S, Laverdière M, Chou MN, Boilard N, Chow C, Papadopoulou B. Source Infectious Disease Research Centre, CHUL Research Centre and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. Abstract The parasitic protozoan Leishmania alternates between an invertebrate and a mammalian host. Upon their entry to mammalian macrophages, Leishmania promastigotes differentiate into amastigote forms within the harsh environment of the phagolysosomal compartment. Here, we provide evidence for the importance of translational control during the Leishmania differentiation process. We find that exposure of promastigotes to a combined elevated temperature and acidic pH stress, a key signal triggering amastigote differentiation, leads to a marked decrease in global translation initiation, which is associated with eIF2α phosphorylation. Interestingly, we show that amastigotes adapted to grow in a cell-free medium exhibit lower levels of protein synthesis in comparison to promastigotes, suggesting that amastigotes have to enter a slow growth state to adapt to the stressful conditions encountered inside macrophages. Reconversion of amastigotes back to promastigote growth results in upregulation of global translation and a decrease in eIF2α phosphorylation. In addition, we show that while general translation is reduced during amastigote differentiation, translation of amastigote-specific transcripts such as A2 is preferentially upregulated. We find that A2 developmental gene regulation is triggered by temperature changes in the environment and that occurs mainly at the level of translation. Upon elevated temperature, the A2 transcript is stabilized through its association with polyribosomes leading to high levels of translation. When temperature decreases during amastigote to promastigote differentiation, the A2 transcript is not longer associated with translating polyribosomes and is being gradually degraded. Overall, these findings contribute to our better understanding of the adaptive responses of Leishmania to stress during its development and highlight the importance of translational control in promastigote to amastigote differentiation and vice-versa.
	PMID: 22693545 [PubMed - in process]

3.	Age Ageing. 2012 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print] An unusual case of anaemia in an octogenarian. McCusker L, Platt J. Source Care of the Elderly, Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesex, UK. Abstract Older patients referred for further investigation of anaemia are common in a geriatric medicine clinic and it is important to consider a wide range of underlying diagnoses. We present an unusual case of anaemia in an octogenarian in whom a diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis was made. This is a rare and unusual diagnosis in this cohort of patients, especially within the UK; however, it is important to identify it, given its high mortality if left untreated. Our case, presumably contracted while in Andalucia, Spain, highlights the need for awareness in this group of patients, especially when travel within Europe is becoming commonplace.
	PMID: 22693161 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

4.	Vet Pathol. 2012 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print] Naturally Acquired Visceral Leishmaniosis in a Captive Bennett's Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus). Ramírez GA, Peñafiel-Verdú C, Altimira J, García-González B, Vilafranca M. Source Sant Quirze del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. Abstract A high prevalence of leishmaniosis has been reported from an increasing number of domestic and wild mammals around the world. In Australian macropods, Leishmania spp infection has been occasionally described in its cutaneous form only. The purpose of this report is to present a case of fatal visceral leishmaniosis in a captive Bennett's wallaby in Madrid, Spain, which was investigated by detailed macroscopic, histologic, and immunohistochemical examinations.
	PMID: 22692623 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

5.	Int J Pharm. 2012 Jun 9. [Epub ahead of print] Interaction of miltefosine with intercellular membranes of stratum corneum and biomimetic lipid vesicles. Alonso L, Neto SA, Marquezin CA, Berardi M, Ito AS, Acuña AU, Alonso A. Source Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil. Abstract Miltefosine (MT) is an alkylphospholipid approved for breast cancer metastasis and visceral leishmaniasis treatments, although the respective action mechanisms at the molecular level remain poorly understood. In this work, the interaction of miltefosine with the lipid component of stratum corneum (SC), the uppermost skin layer, was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of several fatty acid spin-labels. In addition, the effect of miltefosine on i) spherical lipid vesicles of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and ii) lipids extracted from SC was also investigated, by EPR and time-resolved polarized fluorescence methods. In SC of neonatal Wistar rats, 4% (w/w) miltefosine give rise to a large increase of the fluidity of the intercellular membranes, in the temperature range from 6 to about 50°C. This effect becomes negligible at temperatures higher that ca. 60°C. In large unilamelar vesicles of DPPC no significant changes could be observed with a miltefosine concentration 25% molar, in close analogy with the behavior of biomimetic vesicles prepared with bovine brain ceramide, behenic acid and cholesterol. In these last samples, a 25mol % molar concentration of miltefosine produced only a modest decrease in the bilayer fluidity. Although miltefosine is not a feasible skin permeation enhancer due to its toxicity, the information provided in this work could be of utility in the development of a MT topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.
	PMID: 22692081 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

6.	Exp Parasitol. 2012 Jun 9. [Epub ahead of print] Involvement of the Leishmania donovani virulence factor A2 in protection against heat and oxidative stress. McCall LI, Matlashewski G. Source McGill University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4. Abstract Leishmania is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that infects cells of the reticulo-endothelial system. Host defences against Leishmania include fever and oxidant production, and the parasite has developed a number of defence mechanisms to neutralize the host response. The L. donovani A2 family of proteins has been shown to be essential for survival in mammalian visceral organs. Here we provide evidence that A2 proteins protect the parasite against host defences, namely heat stress (fever) and oxidative stress. A2 is however unable to protect the cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by dithiothreitol. To downregulate A2 protein expression, L. donovani was transfected with an A2 antisense RNA expressing-vector, resulting in significant reduction of A2 levels. The resulting A2-deficient cells were more sensitive to heat shock and this was associated with increased production of internal oxidants during heat shock. Moreover, axenic amastigotes with downregulated A2 expression had increased internal oxidants and decreased viability following treatment with hydrogen peroxide or a nitric oxide donor when compared to control cells. Overall, these results suggest that A2 protects L. donovani from a variety of stresses, thereby allowing it to survive in the internal organs of the mammalian host and to cause visceral disease. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.
	PMID: 22691540 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

7.	Infect Genet Evol. 2012 Jun 9. [Epub ahead of print] APOL1 expression is induced by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infection but is not associated with differential susceptibility to sleeping sickness. Ilboudo H, Berthier D, Camara M, Camara O, Kabore J, Leno M, Keletigui S, Chantal I, Jamonneau V, Belem AM, Cuny G, Bucheton B. Source Centre International de Recherche-Développement sur l'Elevage en zone Subhumide (CIRDES), 01 BP 454 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso. Abstract Most African trypanosome species are sensitive to trypanolytic factors (TLFs) present in human serum. Trypanosome lysis was demonstrated to be associated with apolipoprotein L-I (APOL1). Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense, the two human infective trypanosome species, have both developed distinct resistance mechanisms to APOL1 mediated lysis. Whereas T. b. rhodesiense resistance is linked with the expression of the serum resistance associated (SRA) protein that interacts with APOL1 inside the parasite lysosome, inhibiting its lytic action; T. b. gambiense resistance is rather controlled by a reduced expression of the parasite HpHb receptor, limiting APOL1 absorption by trypanosomes. Based on this last observation we hypothesised that variation in the host APOL1 environment could significantly alter T. b. gambiense growth and thus resistance/susceptibility to sleeping sickness. To test this hypothesis, we have measured blood APOL1 relative expression in HAT patients, uninfected endemic controls and serologically positive subjects (SERO TL(+)) that are suspected to control infection to parasitological levels that are undetectable by the available test used in the field. All RNA samples were obtained from medical surveys led in the HAT mangrove foci of Coastal Guinea. Results indicate that APOL1 expression is a complex trait dependant on a variety of factors that need to be taken into account in the analysis. Nevertheless, multivariate analysis showed that APOL1 expression levels were significantly higher in both HAT and SERO TL(+) subject as compared to endemic controls (p=0.006). This result suggests that APOL1 expression is likely induced by T. b. gambiense, but is not related to resistance/susceptibility in its human host. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
	PMID: 22691369 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

8.	Prague Med Rep. 2012;113(2):105-18. Topical treatment modalities for old world cutaneous leishmaniasis: a review. Alavi-Naini R, Fazaeli A, O'Dempsey T. Source Research Centre for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. Abstract Diagnosis and therapy of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) can be difficult due to the variability of the clinical pictures and resistance to therapy. There is no vaccine currently available for CL. The aim of the present review is to describe different topical treatment modalities for old world CL. The mainstays of treatment for old world CL are pentavalent antimony compounds which are administered parenterally or intralesionally. New topical treatment alternatives have been available within the past few years. Amongst several treatments used topically, physical therapies including cryotherapy, heat therapy and CO2 laser are promising for the treatment of old world CL. Along with that, other randomized placebo controlled trials should be designed to find new effective therapeutic regimens.
	PMID: 22691282 [PubMed - in process]

9.	J Small Anim Pract. 2012 Jun 12. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2012.01224.x. [Epub ahead of print] Subclinical leishmaniasis associated with infertility and chronic prostatitis in a dog. Mir F, Fontaine E, Reyes-Gomez E, Carlus M, Fontbonne A. Source CERCA (Centre d'Études en Reproduction des Carnivores), Alfort Veterinary School, Maisons Alfort, France. Abstract A stud dog was presented for acquired infertility. Haematospermia and teratozoospermia were found on two ejaculates 2 weeks apart. A presumptive diagnosis of prostatitis was made follo-wing -ultrasound examination. An ultrasound-guided needle core biopsy was performed under general anaesthesia, revealing a mild chronic macrophagic and plasma cell prostatitis with intracytoplasmic amastigotes consistent with Leishmania spp. infection. Presence of Leishmania infantum, Leishmania donovani or Leishmania chagasi was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction in seminal plasma. Serology and serum protein electrophoresis confirmed the diagnosis of a subclinical active systemic leishmaniasis. A meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol treatment was given which clearly improved within 3 months both general condition and the quality of sperm. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a prostatitis secondary to a Leishmania spp. infection. Subclinical systemic leishmaniasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infertility in dogs suffering from semen alterations. © 2012 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
	PMID: 22690941 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

10.	Trends Parasitol. 2012 May;28(5):173. Epub 2012 Mar 27. Is Trypanosoma vivax genetically diverse? Hamilton PB.
	PMID: 22459431 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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