Leishmaniasis laríngea. Presentación de un caso clínico / Laryngeal leishmaniasis. Presentation of a clinical case

La leishmaniasis aislada de laringe es una forma muy poco frecuente de leishmaniasis mucosa, hasta tal punto que su presentación en la clínica habitual es excepcional. En nuestro medio y en todo el área mediterránea, se asocia fundamentalmente con la infección por Leishmania donovani infantum. Presentamos un caso de leishmaniasis laríngea diagnosticado en nuestro hospital. Se trata de un paciente sin antecedentes de viajes al extranjero ni infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH). El único antecedente relevante es la toma crónica de esteroides inhalados como consecuencia del asma bronquial que padecía. El diagnóstico se realizó por observación directa del protozoo en la biopsia de la mucosa laríngea. El tratamiento empleado ha sido la anfotericina B y la evolución clínica ha sido satisfactoria (AU)

Isolated laryngeal leishmaniasis is a very uncommon form of leishmaniasis mucous membrane, up to such a point that its presentation in the usual clinical practice is rare. In both our setting and in the entire mediterranean area, it is fundamentally associated to Leishmania donovani infantum infection. We present a case of laryngeal leishmaniasis diagnosed in our hospital. This patient had no background of having travelled abroad or of HIV infection. The only relevant background is chronic administration of inhaled steroids due to his bronchial asthma. Diagnosis was by direct observation of the protozoan in the biopsy of the laryngeal mucous membrane. Treatment has been B-amphotericin with satisfactory clinical evolution (AU)

Zinc and infection: a review.

Dietary zinc deficiency is widespread in developing countries and is often aggravated by intercurrent acute and chronic infections. Recent studies have demonstrated that zinc supplementation can significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality of apparently well-nourished children and shorten the time to recovery from acute infectious diseases. This review summarises current knowledge of the role of zinc in childhood diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and malaria, and its potential role in diseases associated with impaired cellular immunity, namely tuberculosis, lepromatous leprosy and leishmaniasis, and explores avenues for future research.

IL-5-Induced Eosinophils Suppress the Growth of Leishmania amazonensis In Vivo and Kill Promastigotes In Vitro in Response to Either IL-4 or IFN-gamma.

In IL-5 transgenic mice (C3H/HeN-TgN(IL-5)-Imeg), in which 50% of peripheral blood leukocytes are eosinophils, the development of infection by Leishmania amazonensis was clearly suppressed. To determine mechanistically how this protozoan parasite is killed, we performed in vitro killing experiments. Either IL-4 or IFN-gamma effectively stimulated eosinophils to kill Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes, and most of the killing was inhibited by catalase but not by the NO inhibitor L-N5-(1-iminoethyl)-ornithine, suggesting that hydrogen peroxide is responsible for the killing of L. amazonensis by eosinophils. There was no significant degranulation of eosinophils in the culture, because eosinophil peroxidase was not detected in culture supernatants when L. amazonensis promastigotes were killed by activated eosinophils. Such resistance was also observed in BALB/c mice, which are highly susceptible to L. amazonensis. Expression plasmids for IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma were transferred into muscle by electroporation in vivo starting 1 week before infection. Expression plasmid for IL-5 was most effective in slowing the development of infection among three expression plasmids. Expression plasmid for IL-4 was slightly effective and that for IFN-gamma had no effect on the progress of disease. These results suggest that IL-5 gene transfer into muscle by electroporation is useful as a supplementary protection method against L. amazonensis infection.

Manifestaciones orales de patologías tropicales / Oral manifestations of tropical diseases

El presente trabajo expone las características clínias e histopatológicas de las pricnipales patologías tropicales (micóticas, parasitarias y virales) que presentan manifestaciones bucales, poniendo énfasis en la paracoccidioidomicosis, histoplasmosis, critpcocosis, dengue, leishmaniasis e infección micótica (AU)

[Popular conceptions regarding cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia and their applicability in control programs]. / Conceptos populares sobre la leishmaniasis cutánea en Colombia y su aplicabilidad en programas de control.

A study was carried out to obtain information on prevailing popular ideas and attitudes about cutaneous leishmaniasis and its treatment in an isolated endemic area on the Colombian Pacific Coast. Interviews were conducted with a representative sample of individuals from the community and with health agents. The formal survey covered 736 households, 332 of them in a rural area (where leishmaniasis is endemic) and 404 in the city of Buenaventura (where there is no transmission of the disease.) The results showed that cutaneous leishmaniasis is well known in the rural area. The people have names for it (ya-te-vi or bejuco), have an understanding of its etiology (although their interpretation differs from that accepted by the scientific community), and have developed methods for preventing and treating it. The popular understanding of the disease results in behavior directed toward its prophylaxis and treatment that shares many characteristics with Western medicinal practices. The traditional treatments should be taken into account in the application of measures to control the disease in that area.