Risk factors for the transmission of kala-azar in Fangak, South Sudan

"This article reports a case controlled study of kala-azar done in Fangak County in 2007. Fifty-six percent of the cases were under 5 years old. Most patients came for treatment two months or more after the onset of symptoms. Outdoor night-time activities and the use of ""smoking"" (non-insecticide treated) bed nets were associated with kala-azar infection whereas the use of bed nets during the rainy season decreased the risk of infection. It is recommended that there should be a greater distribution of treated bed nets and more kala-azar treatment centres in the county. Note: This article reports the results of a study into some risk factors for the transmission of kala-azar in Fangak in 2007. There was another recent outbreak in this area on 2010 (1; 2). Recommendations were again made to distribute more treated bed nets and to open more kala-azar treatment centres. The official Ministry of Health guideline for the treatment of kala-azar is at the end of this article."

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sudan: an update

Cutaneous leishmaniasis due to L.major is now endemic in many parts of the northern Sudan. In this up-date we discuss the clinical manifestations of cutaneous leishmaniasis; its diagnosis and treatment. The most common clinical forms are nodular; noduloulcerative and ulcerative lesions. Less common forms are sporotrichoid lesions; leishmanial dactylitis; leishmanial cheilitis; mycetoma- and residivans-like types. In a suspected case the diagnosis is made by demonstration of leishmania parasites in slit smears or biopsy; isolation of the parasite by culture in appropriate media and by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. The majority of lesions heal spontaneously. Criteria for local or systemic treatment are given

La leishmaniose cutanee chez les patients recus a l'unite biologie du CNAM de janvier 2002 a octobre 2004

Notre etude s'est deroulee de janvier 2002 a octobre 2004.Nous avons entrepris une etude descriptive sur126 cas dont le frottis etait positif avec un taux de 84p.100 et fixe les objectifs suivants : Objectif general Etudier les cas de la leishmaniose cutanee chez les patients recus a l'unite biologie de janvier 2002 a octobre 2004. . Objectifs specifiques Determiner les aspects epidemiologiques des cas de leishmaniose rencontres; Determiner les localisations des cas de leishmaniose rencontres; Determiner la distribution des cas identifies par annee et par mois. Selon les moyens dont le laboratoire dispose nous avons realise l'examen direct apres coloration au May Grunwald Giemsa. Les hommes etaient les plus representes avec 64;29 p.100. La population jeune dans la tranche d'age de 21-40 ans est la plus touchee 50p.100. La moyenne d'age est de 25;59 ans et les ages extremes se situaient entre 4 mois et 60 ans. Les Sarakoles sont les plus atteints avec un taux de 42;86 p.100. Les lesions se retrouvaient le plus souvent sur les membres superieurs seuls avec 41;2p.100 des cas. Les cultivateurs etaient les plus atteints avec 22;2p.100 des cas. Pendant de janvier; de fevrier; de septembre; d'octobre il y'avait beaucoup de cas avec les nombres respectifs 8; 6; 9 et 8

Abundances and nocturnal activities of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera : Psychodidae) in termite hills and animals burrows in Baringo District; Kenya

The abundance of phlebotomine sandflies was studied in a leishmaniasis endemic area in Baringo District; Rift Valley Province; Kenya. This was based on sandfly behaviors at night in their natural habitats of termite hills and animal burrows. Sandflies were collected with an entry-exit trap which has a sieve fixed at the middle to control sandfly movements. Flies were trapped from 1800-0600 hours. Phlebotomus martini (Parrot) were significantly more abundant in termite hills than in animal burrows (P 0.05). Phlebotomus duboscqi (Neveu-Lemaire) were found to favour animal burrows more than termite hills (P 0.05). Nocturnal movements and activities showed that the majority of the sandflies were exiting from termite hills and animal burrows from 1800-2400 hours while from 2400-0600 hours; the majority of the sandflies were entering termite hills and animal burrows (P0.05). Sergentomyia (Theodor) species showed mixed preferences for these two habitats. Sergentomyia schwetzi (Aldler; Theodor et Pam favoured termite hills more than animal burrows but S. clydei (Sinton) showed great preference for animal burrows. The nocturnal activities or preferences of habitats by phlebotomine sandflies have epidemiological significance in that control measures can be directed to these habitats with a certain degree of accuracy for the vectors of visceral and cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Kenya

Clinical and parasitological prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mokolo focus; Far Province of Cameroon

Clinico-parasitological screening of 3866 individuals in the Mokolo region of northern Cameroon gave 0.94 percent of those with active lesions. The diagnosis of scars was mainly clinical. For lesions; the clinical diagnosis was confirmed by the demonstration of parasites on Giemsa stained smears. Both sexes were equally infected. The highest number of people with active lesions (51.43 percent) was recorded in the 2-15 years age group; most being students. It was during the rainy season that many people acquired the infection. The localization of lesions and/or scars on the body was considered in the study and gave the following repartition : 43.16 percent on the upper limbs; 28.42 percent on the lower limbs; 21.05 percent on the head and 7.37 percent on the trunk. A therapeutic regime of amphotericin B (topical application) and metronidazole (per os) was administered to some patients who responded satisfactorily

La leishmaniose cutanee au Senegal

La leishmaniose cutanee est une endemie largement distribuee au Senegal. Elle se rencontre dans les zones biogeographiques aussi differentes qu'une zone sahelienne subdesertique ou la pluviometrie est en moyenne de 300mm d'eau par an et une zone de climat soudanien recevant 100/mm de precipitations par an

Screening of metal ion chelators against Leishmania donovani-infected Syrian hamsters

Leishmania donovani-infected Syrian hamsters were treated intraperitoneally with 0.23 mmoles/kg/day of EDTA; EGTA; HEEDTA and 100 mg/kg/day of Pentostam R. The control group received 0.1 ml of phosphate buffered saline. After 30 days of treatment; the animals were sacrificed. Of the Pentostam-treated animals; 5 out 6 had negative spleen cultures; while all the chelator and PBS-treated ones yielded parasites. While all the Pentostam-treated hamsters yielded had negative bone marrow cultures; only 1 out of 6 HEEDTA-treated hamsters yielded parasites. Spleen; liver and bone marrow parasite-loads calculated from chelator-treated animals were consistently significantly higher than for Pentostam-treated animals. These results suggest that although metal ion chelators have some antileishmanial potential; their in vivo activity against L. donovani is low compared to Pentostam

Determination of the optimal EDTA and Pentostam concentration in the treatment of Leishmania donovani-infected laboratory animal rodent models

The objective of this study was to undertake a dose response study to determine the optimal Pentostam and Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) dose that could be used in the treatment of leishmania-infected golden hamsters or BALB/c mice for a period of 30 days. This pilot experiment was done using only one chelator; EDTA and the toxicity results obtained from this experiment formed the basis for the selection of a suitable chelator dose of this class for the future treatment of leishmania-infected laboratory animal rodent models. It is concluded that Pentostam concentrations beyond 600 mg/kg are highly toxic to mice and therefore unsuitable for use. Although Pentostam have been used to treat leishmania-infected BALB/c mice; this study has shown that a concentration of 100 mg/KG/day is the most suitable dose for use in the treatment of rodent animal models

Screening of metal ion chelators against Leishmania donovani-infected BALB/c mice

Previous in vitro experiments by Mbati et al. have shown that Ethylenediamine tetraacic acid (EDTA) and Ethyleneglycol-bis (B-aminoethyl ether) N;N;N1;N1; tetraacetic acid (EGTA) substantially reduce parasite burdens of leishmania donovani in either cell free media or when engulfed in mouse peritoneal macrophages. The objective of this study was to compare the activity of the same chelators against Leishmania donovani in BALB/c mice infected with a much lower parasite inoculum

Un diagnostic inhabituel d'une fievre prolongee chez un cardiaque: le kala-azar

Les poussees de fievre rhumatismale et l'endocardite infectieuse sont parmi les principales causes d'une fievre au long cours chez un cardiaque. Parfois; la non confirmation des diagnostics habituels par le bilan complementaire fait evoquer d'autres etiologies. Le contexte epidemiologique de certaines affections febriles; est; dans ce cas; essentiel dans l'orientation de discussion diagnostique. Les auteurs rapportent un cas d'association forfuite d'une valvulopathie rhumastimale et de leishmaniose viscerale chez un adulte jeune et en discutent les aspects epidemiologique; diagnostique et therapeutique

Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae; phlebotominae) of Ocholo; South Western Ethiopia: Species composition and natural infection with leishmania aethiopica

A study carried out in December 1980 and March-April 1989 indicated the presence of five species of phlebotomine sandflies in Ocholo; southwestern Ethiopia: Phlebotomus aculeatus; P. pedifer; Srgentomyia affinis vorax; S. africana magna; and S. bedford. P. aculeatus; S. affinis vorax and S. africana hagna were rare. P. pedifer was caught with aspiraor; CDC light trap and on human balt P. pedifer was found to highly anthropophilic. The survey of March-April 1989 showed a population of P. pedifer with 32.9parous or gravid females. Of the 118 parous or gravid females of P. pedifer dissected; 5 were found infected with promastigotes characterized as Leishmania aethiopica; and one additional female was classified positive by a species-specific DNA probe. The overall infection rate was 5.1. Four of the five infected flies were full of promastigotes in the cardia; thoracic- and abdominal-midgut regions. This suggested that the gut of P. pedifer allowed the development of L. aethiopica promastigotes and their migration anteriorly; a feature considered important in sandfly vectors of mammalian leishmaniasis