Leishmania mexicana infection of the eyelid in a traveler to Belize

A 50 year-old man, a United States resident, presented in Texas with a violaceous non-ulcerating lesion, involving the entire lower eyelid. The patient had traveled to a jungle area of Belize several hours drive from the capital city. Leishmania mexicana was isolated. The lesion only partially resolved after an initial course of sodium stibogluconate, requiring retreatment. At two years of follow-up, there was no relapse. The parasite isolated from the patient caused a progressive, non-ulcerating lesion in an experimental mouse footpad infection. This is an unusual case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a traveler. Travelers must be educated about personal protective measures to prevent exotic infections acquired during travel.

Leishmania mexicana infection of the eyelid in a traveler to Belize

A 50 year-old man, a United States resident, presented in Texas with a violaceous non-ulcerating lesion, involving the entire lower eyelid. The patient had traveled to a jungle area of Belize several hours drive from the capital city. Leishmania mexicana was isolated. The lesion only partially resolved after an initial course of sodium stibogluconate, requiring retreatment. At two years of follow-up, there was no relapse. The parasite isolated from the patient caused a progressive, non-ulcerating lesion in an experimental mouse footpad infection. This is an unusual case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a traveler. Travelers must be educated about personal protective measures to prevent exotic infections acquired during travel.

Comparative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis maps for promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania major

The outcome of Leishmania infections is determined by both the parasite species and the host genetic makeup. While much has been learned regarding immune responses to this parasite, our knowledge on parasite-derived factors is limited. The recent completion of the L. major and L. infantum genome sequence projects and concurrent advancement in proteomics technology would greatly accelerate the search for novel Leishmania proteins. Using a proteomics-based approach to study species-specific Leishmania proteins, we developed high-resolution, broad pH (3-10) two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) separations to determine protein-expression profiles between highly infectious forms of the parasitic species L. amazonensis (New World) and L. major (Old World). Approximately 1,650 and 1,530 distinct protein spots were detected in the L. amazonensis and L. major gels, respectively. While a vast majority of the spots had similar distribution and intensity, a few were computationally defined as preferentially expressed in L. amazonensis in comparison to L. major, or vice versa. These data attest to the feasibility of establishing a 2-DE-based protein array for inter-species profiling of Leishmania proteins and provide the framework for future design of proteome studies of Leishmania.