In some central-American countries,
Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi
infection can cause non-ulcerated or atypical
cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL) in addition to the classic clinical form,
visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Little is known about the
host-parasite relationship that can contribute to the
determination of one or another clinical form. The present study had the objective to evaluate the humoral and
cellular immunity in the sera of individuals affected by NUCL to improve the
comprehension of this atypical
host-parasite interaction . Based on clinical and
laboratory diagnosis ,
serum of 80 individuals was collected to evaluate the
cytokines and
immunoglobulins profile of NUCL (n = 47), VL
patients (n = 5), and negative controls (n = 28).
Cytokines were detected using
Cytokine Bead Array (CBA)
Human Th1/Th2/Th17 kit according to the manufacturer's instructions; class (
IgG and
IgM ), and subclass of (
IgG1 and
IgG2 )
immunoglobulins was evaluated by
ELISA using specific
antigens . The concentration of TNF-α, IFN-γ,
IL-2 and
IL-4 cytokines in NUCL, VL and control was present below the
detection threshold of CBA kit.
IL-6 ,
IL-10 and
IL-17A cytokines was lower in NUCL compared to LV
patients . Regarding to
immunoglobulins , NUCL
patients produced 4.0 times more
IgG than the control, while VL
patients produced 6.6 times more; and
IgM level was 1.6 times higher in NUCL and 2.6 times in VL
patients compared to the control. Concerning the
immunoglobulins subclass, only VL
patients showed positive reaction for
IgG1 , and
IgG2 did not show positive reaction among the groups. The results showed a weak cellular and humoral systemic
immune response in NUCL
patients .