BACKGROUND With widespread resistance to antimonials in Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent, Miltefosine (MIL) has been introduced as the first line therapy. Surveillance of MIL susceptibility in natural populations of Leishmania donovani is vital to preserve it and support the VL elimination program. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We measured in vitro susceptibility to...

The underlying mechanisms resulting in the profound immune suppression characteristic of human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are not fully understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that arginase, an enzyme associated with immunosuppression, is higher in patients with VL and contributes to impaired T cell responses. We recruited patients with VL before and after treatment and healthy controls and...

Leishmaniasis, caused by infection with parasites of the Leishmania genus, affects millions of individuals worldwide. This disease displays distinct clinical manifestations ranging from self-healing skin lesions to severe tissue damage. The control of Leishmania infection is dependent on cellular immune mechanisms, and evidence has shown that CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes play different roles in th...

Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected tropical disease in terms of drug discovery and development. Most antileishmanial drugs are highly toxic, present resistance issues or require hospitalization, being therefore not adequate to the field. Recently improvements have been achieved by combination therapy, reducing the time and cost of treatment. Nonetheless, new drugs are still urgently nee...

Leishmania amazonensis parasites are etiological agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World. BALB/c mice highly susceptible to L. challenge due their inability mount parasite-dependent IFN-γ-mediated responses. Here, we analyzed capacity a single administration LiΔHSP70-II genetically-modified attenuated infantum line preventing challenged with virulent parasites. In previous studies, t...

BACKGROUND Pentavalent antimonials remain the choice of treatment for leishmaniasis, despite their toxicity, high cost, and difficult administration. As an alternative, morphine may induce the healing process of cutaneous leishmaniasis by its immunoregulatory characteristics. OBJECTIVES To study the effect of morphine on the wound-healing process of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in a mouse mod...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is responsible for most Leishmania-associated deaths. VL represents a serious public health problem that affects many countries. The immune response in leishmaniasis is very complex and is poorly understood. The Th1 versus Th2 paradigm does not appear to be so clear in visceral leishmaniasis, suggesting that other immunosu...

© 2014 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1582 Journal Compilation © 2014 Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555 Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a recalcitrant dermatosis following apparent cure from visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Patients with PKDL are considered the sole reservoir for the parasite during inter-epidemic periods of VL in India (1). Mono-drug therapy has been rec...

Brazil is among the top five countries worldwide regarding the number of cases of leishmaniasis, which are present in all of the regions of the country. The northeastern region continues to have higher numbers of cases every year and in the state of Pernambuco, 34% of the municipalities are endemic for this disease. The diversity of vectors, reservoirs and etiological agents, in association wit...

INTRODUCTION In 2005, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal joined forces to eliminate Visceral Leishmaniasis (or kala-azar) from the region by 2015. In Bangladesh the elimination target is set at less than one new case per 10,000 population per year at upazila (sub-district) level. As the deadline approaches, we review the status of the elimination initiative in this country. METHODS We collected all...