Studies of the leishmanin skin test positivity in cases with treatment anti-Leishmania

ABSTRACT

Leishmanin skin test (LST) was applied in 115 (40.5, percent) females and 169 (59.5 percent) males who suffered from cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL), with 1 to 7 cutaneous lesions, with > 211 days of evolution (mean= 47; DE= 36.7). Their ages ranged from 0 to 75 years (mean= 21). The clinical, parasitological, serological and immunological diagnosis of CL were studied. The LST reactivity was compared with respect to years age, sex, number and evolution of the lesion, before and after the treatment with glucantime (G) injected intramuscularly (IM). Second and third injections the G were necessary in 61.97 percent and 12.76 percent of the patients respectively. The time required for healing ranged from 30 to 120 days. The diameter of the induration was of 5 to 27 mm before the treatment, and up to 27 mm of induration when no clinicas manifestations were observed in all cases of CL. A higher proportion of positive skin test was obtained in the > 8 years age group (79.22 percent) than in the younger group. The relatively higher prevalence of LST in children from 1 to 10 years correlates with the percentage distribution of positive parasitaemias, and is associated with the mafe patients. These findings suggest that it is the intensity rather than the simple occurrence of parasitaemia which determine, the association into the LST and number and evolution of lesion in these cases of CL. The frequency of LST positivity was higher in individual males (55.63 percent). When these infections were grouped according to years age, sex and time of infection, and relationship with LST, the differences were no longer significant