Development of a rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for diagnosis and assessment of cure of Leishmania infection.

Background: Leishmaniasis is a spectrum of diseases with great relevance to public health. Conventional diagnostic methods are time consuming, needing trained personnel. A robust, rapid and cost effective diagnostic test is warranted for on-time diagnosis and field application.

Pediatric cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic region in India.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in the Bikaner region situated in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. This study describes clinicoepidemiological data of pediatric CL in pre-school children (0-5 years of age) from this region during 2001-2012. In total, 151 patients with 217 lesions were reported during the study period.

Multilocus microsatellite typing reveals a genetic relationship but, also, genetic differences between Indian strains of Leishmania tropica causing cutaneous leishmaniasis and those causing visceral leishmaniasis.

Background: Leishmaniases are divided into cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In the Old World, CL is caused by Leishmania (L.) major, L.

Analysis of localized immune responses reveals presence of Th17 and Treg cells in cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica.

Purpose: The interaction between the Leishmania parasite and the host cell involves complex, multifaceted processes. The disease severity in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is largely dependent on the causative species. Most of the information on immune responses in human CL is available with respect to L.

Clinco-epidemiologic study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, Bikaner, India. The present study describes clinico-epidemiologcial data of all cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis CL in this region during 2001-2011. A total of 1,379 patients with 2,730 lesions were reported during the study period.

Long-term efficacy of radiofrequency ablation in treatment of common and palmo-plantar warts.

Current treatments for warts induce significant local tissue damage and do not prevent recurrence. We evaluated the efficacy of localised radiofrequency heat (RFH) therapy in inducing the long-term resolution of common and palmo-plantar warts in a placebo-controlled randomised single blind trial. Our data show that RFH therapy is a safe, cosmetically acceptable and long-term effective treatment for warts.

Successful treatment of canine cutaneous leishmaniasis using radio-frequency induced heat (RFH) therapy.

Canine cutaneous leishmaniasis (CCL) is a significant veterinary problem. Infected dogs also serve as parasite reservoirs and contribute to human transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Current treatments for CCL are cumbersome and toxic because they are prolonged and involve multiple injections of antimonials.

Efficacy of Intralesional Bleomycin in Palmo-plantar and Periungual Warts.

Background/aim: Intralesional bleomycin gained increasing popularity in the recent past for treatment of warts particularly in palmo-plantar and periungual regions as other modalities are not very effective. Hence we evaluated the role of intralesional bleomycin in periungual and palmo-plantar warts to know its efficacy in Indian patients.

Settings And Design: This was a placebo-controlled study.

A patient presenting with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) as a first indicator of HIV infection in India.

Opportunistic parasitic infections such as leishmaniasis are common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and are usually acquired several days after initial diagnosis of HIV infection. Here, we report on a patient who presented with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) caused by Leishmania tropica as the first and only clinical manifestation of HIV infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case that illustrates that DCL could be the first clinical indicator of HIV infection.

Unresponsive cutaneous leishmaniasis and HIV co-infection: report of three cases.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector borne disease caused by various species of Leishmania parasite. CL is endemic in the Thar desert of Rajasthan state and Himachal Pradesh in India. Immune suppression caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with atypical clinical presentation of CL which responds poorly to the standard treatment and causes frequent relapses.

Evaluation of localized and systemic immune responses in cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania tropica: interleukin-8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and nitric oxide are major regulatory factors.

We have established Leishmania tropica as the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the region of India where the disease is endemic. The association between localized and circulating levels of immune-determinants in CL patients was evaluated. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed up-regulation of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-10 and IL-4 in dermal lesions at the pretreatment stage (n = 31) compared with healthy controls (P < 0.

Correlation of parasitic load with interleukin-4 response in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica.

We have established the association between parasite burden and localized immune response in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania tropica. Real-time PCR was used to measure parasitic load in tissue lesions of CL patients at the pretreatment (n=26) and at the post-treatment stage (n=10). Leishmania tropica was detected in all CL lesions with a mean value of 118 357 parasites g(-1) of dermal tissue.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania tropica in Bikaner, India: parasite identification and characterization using molecular and immunologic tools.

Identification of new foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), along with reports of Leishmania donovani causing the disease, is an issue of concern. Clinico-epidemiologic analysis of 98 cases in the endemic regions of Rajasthan state, India, suggested the preponderance of infection in men (62.24%) compared with women (37.