Publications by authors named "D Laouini"
Article Synopsis
- HIF-1α is an important protein that helps control how our immune system and cells use oxygen, especially during infections.
- The study looked at how HIF-1α levels change in human immune cells (macrophages) when infected with different types of Leishmania major parasites.
- It found that less harmful (hypo-virulent) parasites made HIF-1α levels go up, while more harmful (hyper-virulent) ones lowered HIF-1α levels, which could affect how severe the disease becomes.
In human cutaneous leishmaniasis (HCL) caused by () , the cutaneous lesions heal spontaneously and induce a Th1-type immunity that confers solid protection against reinfection. The same holds true for the experimental leishmaniasis induced by in C57BL/6 mice where residual parasites persist after spontaneous clinical cure and induce sustainable memory immune responses and resistance to reinfection. Whether residual parasites also persist in scars of cured HCL caused by is still unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study shows, for the first time, natural infection among spp. in an endemic region of Tataouine, South Tunisia. To better characterize the transmission cycles in this complex focus of mixed transmission, detection and species identification were performed by direct examination, internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1)-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and sequencing of (.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe clinical expression of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) caused by () parasites has a broad spectrum ranging from asymptomatic infection to self-limited cutaneous sores or severe disease. In concert with the host immune responses, the vector variability and the number of bites, genetic variation between isolates might impact on the clinical output of the disease. We investigated herein the intra-specific variability of field isolates independently of host or vector factors and then tried to correlate parasite variability to ZCL severity in corresponding patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) among Salmonella Kentucky and Typhimurium isolates: partial sequence analysis of the types of β-lactamases found in these isolates, clonality, resistance and supposed emergence of ESBL-producing strains.
Methods And Results: A retrospective study surveyed the ESBLs occurring in a total of 1404 Salmonella Kentucky and Typhimurium isolates collected over a 5-year period in Tunisia. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests, ESBL phenotype determination (double-disc synergy) were performed.