Atypical clinical presentation of strongyloidiasis in a patient co-infected with human T cell lymphotrophic virus type I.

Alterations in the immunologic response induced by human T cell lymphotrophic virus type I (HTLV-I) predispose the development of disseminated strongyloidiasis. We report a case of an atypical clinical presentation of strongyloidiasis in a patient co-infected with HTLV-I causing scrotal and perineal pain and infertility. Strongyloides stercoralis was found in the analysis of the sperm and specific therapy for strongyloidiasis was associated with disappearance of the symptoms.

Helminthic infection down-regulates type 1 immune responses in human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) carriers and is more prevalent in HTLV-1 carriers than in patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with an exacerbated type 1 immune response and secretion of high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In contrast, helminthic infection induces a type 2 immune response. In the present study, the cytokine profile in HTLV-1 carriers coinfected with helminths (Strongyloides stercoralis and/or Schistosoma mansoni) was compared with that in HTLV-1 carriers not coinfected with helminths.

Antibody response in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis infected by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis or Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis in Brazil.

The antibody response against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis crude antigen was measured through the indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) and the immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) in 114 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Brazil. Fifty-four patients were infected by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, and 60 patients had L. (V.

Zinc/copper imbalance reflects immune dysfunction in human leishmaniasis: an ex vivo and in vitro study.

Background: The process of elimination of intracellular pathogens, such as Leishmania, requires a Th1 type immune response, whereas a dominant Th2 response leads to exacerbated disease. Experimental human zinc deficiency decreases Th1 but not Th2 immune response. We investigated if zinc and copper levels differ in different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, and if these trace metals might be involved in the immune response towards the parasite.

Impaired T helper 2 response to aeroallergen in helminth-infected patients with asthma.

Helminthic infections have been shown to inhibit allergy skin-prick tests and to modify the course of asthma. We evaluated Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus-specific immune responses in patients with asthma by measuring levels of T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. PBMCs from Schistosoma mansoni-infected patients with asthma living in an area of polyhelminthic endemicity produced lower levels of interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-4 in response to D.

Antimony plus recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor applied topically in low doses enhances healing of cutaneous Leishmaniasis ulcers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) requires 2-6 months to heal. In an effort to reduce this healing time, we studied topically applied granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as an adjunct to antimonial therapy. Ten patients received antimony plus topical GM-CSF, and 10 patients received antimony plus placebo (saline).

Clinical and immunological consequences of human T cell leukemia virus type-I and Schistosoma mansoni co-infection.

Human T cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I) infection is associated with spontaneous T cell activation and uncontrolled lymphocyte proliferation. An exacerbated type-1 immune response with production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) is significantly higher in patients with myelopathy associated to HTLV-I than in HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers. In contrast with HTLV-I, a chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with a type-2 immune response with high levels of interleukin (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10) and low levels of IFN-gamma.

Schistosoma mansoni infection modulates the immune response against allergic and auto-immune diseases.

Chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection leads to a type 2-immune response with increased production of interleukin (IL-10). Evidence indicates chronic exposure to S. mansoni down regulates the type 1 immune response and prevents the onset of Th1-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus and Crohn's disease.

Cytokine profile associated with human chronic schistosomiasis mansoni.

This study objective was to evaluate the cytokines associated with early events of hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis mansoni. Hepatic fibrosis was classified by ultrasonography in 94 patients. Immunological evaluation was performed by measurement of secreted cytokines (interleukin IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factors-beta) in peripherl blood mononuclear cells stimulated by Schistosoma mansoni antigens.

Association of type 2 cytokines with hepatic fibrosis in human Schistosoma mansoni infection.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of cytokines in hepatic fibrosis in the prehepatosplenic and early hepatosplenic stages of schistosomiasis mansoni. Hepatic fibrosis was classified by ultrasonography of 94 patients. Immunological evaluation was performed by the measurement of secreted cytokines (interleukin-5 [IL-5], IL-10, IL-13, gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and transforming growth factor beta) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated by Schistosoma mansoni antigens.

Exacerbated inflammatory cellular immune response characteristics of HAM/TSP is observed in a large proportion of HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers.

Background: A small fraction of Human T cell Leukemia Virus type-1 (HTLV-I) infected subjects develop a severe form of myelopathy. It has been established that patients with HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) show an exaggerated immune response when compared with the immunological response observed in HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers. In this study the immunological responses in HAM/TSP patients and in HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers were compared using several immunological assays to identify immunological markers associated with progression from infection to disease.

Low frequency of positive skin tests in asthmatic patients infected with Schistosoma mansoni exposed to high levels of mite allergens.

Helminthic infections and allergic diseases are highly prevalent in many parts of the world. Although skin reactivity to indoor allergens is decreased in subjects from helminthic endemic areas, the degree of exposure to mite allergens has not yet been investigated in these areas. This study evaluated the association between exposure to dust mites and skin reactivity to mite allergens in subjects with a history of wheezing in the last 12 months selected from a rural endemic area for schistosomiasis (group I, n = 21), and two non-Schistosoma mansoni endemic locale, a rural area (group II, n = 21) and a urban slum area (group III, n = 21).

Characterization of Leishmania chagasi DNA topoisomerase II: a potential chemotherapeutic target.

DNA topoisomerase II (topo II), an enzyme essential for cellular replication, is an eminent target for antimicrobial therapy against Leishmania chagasi, the major cause of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America. The complete L. chagasi (Lch) TOP2 gene, encoding L.

Adhesion molecule expression patterns indicate activation and recruitment of CD4+ T cells from the lymph node to the peripheral blood of early cutaneous leishmaniasis patients.

Adhesion molecules play a crucial role in cell migration and recruitment. Expression of adhesion molecules that preferentially address cells to inflammatory sites is a critical event in the formation and maintenance of leishmaniasis lesions. In this work, we analyzed the expression of CD11a, CD11b and CD62L, adhesion molecules involved in cell activation and circulation, in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood and lymph nodes of patients with early cutaneous leishmaniasis.

[Intravenous lidocaine to treat scleroderma pain: case report.].

Background And Objectives: Scleroderma or progressive systemic sclerosis is a systemic connective tissue disease of unknown origin, which normally courses with microangiopathy, extremities ischemia and severe pain. This report aimed at describing a case of intravenous lidocaine to treat ischemic pain and at emphasizing potential anti-inflammatory action of local anesthetics in scleroderma patients.

Case Report: Female patient, clear mulatto 34 years old, nursing assistant, with scleroderma for approximately 8 years, presented with severe continuous, daily pain (numeric scale = 10) in upper and lower limbs, followed by trophic, color and temperature changes, and small ulcers on extremities.

[Evaluation of cellular immune response in patients with recurrent candidiasis].

Recurrent cutaneous or mucosal candidiasis is characterized by the occurrence of at least four candidiasis episodes within a one-year period. The factors involved in recurrence of infection are still unknown. In the present study the lymphoproliferative response and the IFN-gamma production by candidiasis patients were evaluated.

Majority of interferon-gamma-producing CD4+ cells in patients infected with human T cell lymphotrophic virus do not express tax protein.

The present study was conducted to determine whether interferon (IFN)-gamma production by CD4(+) cells in patients infected with human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is associated with expression of Tax, an HTLV type 1 (HTLV-1) transactivator. The frequency of IFN-gamma production from CD4(+) cells was greater in HTLV-1-infected patients (n=21) than in uninfected (n=3) and Strongyloides stercoralis-infected patients (n=4), and greater in patients with HTLV-1 with detectable Tax than in patients with HTLV-1 with undetectable Tax. In the patients with HTLV-1 with detectable Tax, the majority of CD4(+) cells making IFN-gamma did not express Tax.

Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with a reduced course of asthma.

Background: Helminthic infections decrease skin reactivity to indoor allergens, but data on whether they influence asthma severity are lacking.

Objective: This study evaluated the course of asthma in patients with and without Schistosoma mansoni infection.

Methods: Asthmatic subjects were enrolled from 3 low-socioeconomic areas: a rural area endemic for schistosomiasis (group 1) in addition to a rural area (group 2) and a slum area (group 3), both of which were not endemic for schistosomiasis.

[Clinical and immunological consequences of the association between HTLV-1 and strongyloidiasis].

Strongyloidiasis is one of most important forms of helminthiasis in tropical countries and epidemiologic studies have shown the association of this parasitic disease with HTLV. It has been observed in regions where both these agents are endemic and coinfection may result in an increase in the disseminated forms of strongyloidiasis as well as recurrent strongyloidiasis. While HTLV-1 is related to a high production of IFN-gamma; and deviation of the immune response towards a Th1 response, the protection against helminths is associated with Th2 like immune response.

Characterization of the immune response to Leishmania infantum recombinant antigens.

Leishmaniases have a high prevalence in tropical countries. In order to improve existing diagnostic systems based on total Leishmania proteins, and to identify antigen candidates for vaccine development, an intensive search for the identification of antigens was performed using molecular biology techniques. In this study, the immune response to three L.

Disseminated leishmaniasis: a new and emerging form of leishmaniasis observed in northeastern Brazil.

During the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of patients with disseminated leishmaniasis (DL), which is characterized by a large number of acneiform and papular skin lesions, with very few or no parasites in the skin tissue. The present report describes 42 cases of DL identified between 1992 and 1998 in an area where Leishmania braziliensis transmission is endemic; 8 of the patients were prospectively diagnosed. In a contrast to localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), acquisition of DL was associated with age >19 years (P<.

Association between mite allergen (Der p 1, Der f 1, Blo t 5) levels and microscopic identification of mites or skin prick test results in asthmatic subjects.

Background: Mite allergens have been involved in airway sensitization and allergic diseases. Immunoassays for the identification and quantifiction of house dust mite (HDM) allergens are useful to improve the knowledge of regional mite fauna and the remediation of mite allergens in allergic diseases. The present study analyzed the association between levels of HDM allergen and results of mite identification or skin prick test (SPT) in two different areas of Bahia, Brazil.

Up-regulation of Th1-type responses in mucosal leishmaniasis patients.

The cytokine profile produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to leishmania antigens and the ability of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) to modulate the immune response were evaluated in 21 mucosal leishmaniasis patients. Patients with mucosal disease exhibited increased gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion and decreased IL-10 secretion compared to patients with classical cutaneous leishmaniasis. CD4(+) Th1 cells were the main source of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production in mucosal leishmaniasis patients.

Evidence of in situ cytotoxicity in American cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The role of cytotoxicity in the defense mechanisms or pathogenesis of human cutaneous leishmaniasis is not yet well known. In the present work we assessed the presence of NK, CD8+ and CD45RO+ T cells, as well as the expression of a molecule associated with cytotoxic properties (TIA-1) in the lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis. CD8+ T cells, NK and activated T cells were found within the dermal cell infiltrate.

Failure of early treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in preventing the development of an ulcer.

The clinical characteristics and treatment outcome were determined for 26 patients who presented with early-stage cutaneous leishmaniasis. Illness duration ranged from 8 to 20 days, and the commonest clinical presentation was the presence of a papule with small central crust on a lower extremity. Prominent regional adenopathy was found in 22 (85%) of 26 patients.