Leishmaniasis represents a complex of diseases with a broad clinical spectrum and epidemiological diversity, considered a major public health problem. Although there is treatment, there are still no vaccines for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Because spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis chemotherapy is a bottleneck in disease treatment. Although available, chemotherapy is limited, toxic, painful, and does not lead to parasite clearance, with parasite resistance also being reported. Therefore, new therapeutic options are being investigated, such as plant-derived anti-parasitic compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTreatment of leishmaniasis is a challenging subject. Although available, chemotherapy is limited, presenting toxicity and adverse effects. New drugs with antileishmanial activity are being investigated, such as antiparasitic compounds derived from plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniases are a complex of diseases with a broad spectrum of clinical forms, which depend on the parasite species, immunological status, and genetic background of the host. In the model, susceptibility is associated with the Th2 pattern of cytokines production, while resistance is associated with Th1 response. However, the same dichotomy does not occur in -infected mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection of mice with Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) reproduces major pathological features of severe human disease, notably the early-onset hepatitis and delayed-onset encephalitis. We previously reported that the Rvfs2 locus from the susceptible MBT/Pas strain reduces survival time after RVFV infection. Here, we used BALB/cByJ (BALB) mice congenic for Rvfs2 (C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the search for new compounds with antileishmanial activity, we synthesized a triazole hybrid analogue of the neolignans grandisin and machilin G (LASQUIM 25), which was previously found highly active against both promastigotes and intracellular amastigote forms of . In this work, we investigated the leishmanicidal effects of LASQUIM 25 to identify the mechanisms involved in the cell death of promastigotes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed marked effects of LASQUIM 25 (IC = 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis encompass a group of infectious parasitic diseases occurring in 97 endemic countries where over one billion people live in areas at risk of infection. It is in the World Health Organization list of neglected diseases and it is considered a serious public health problem, with more than 20,000 deaths a year and high morbidity. Infection by protozoa from the genus Leishmania can cause several forms of the disease, which may vary from a self-healing ulcer to fatal visceral infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Soc Bras Med Trop
May 2018
Introduction: Chagas disease is caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi. Its main reservoir is the domestic dog, especially in rural areas with favorable characteristics for vector establishment and proliferation. The aims of this study were to collect data, survey and map the fauna, and identify T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Res Notes
February 2018
Objective: Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of canine heartworm infection, is worldwide the most important filarid to affect domestic dogs. Prevention of this infection is done by macrocyclic lactones, but some reports on the lack of efficacy have been published. Although the actual cause of resistance is unknown, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on a P-glycoprotein ABC transporter and β-tubulin genes have been pointed out as candidates for genetic markers of resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistol Histopathol
July 2018
Leishmania amazonensis is a major etiological agent of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Americas; nevertheless there are some reports of this species causing visceral disease in dogs and men. In the present work we have studied a Leishmania strain isolated from a human case of visceral leishmaniasis. We have infected different mouse strains and analyzed the development of the disease, studying the parasite's ability to visceralize and whether this ability is influenced by host genetics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Negl Trop Dis
August 2016
The absence of an effective vaccine and the debilitating chemotherapy for Leishmaniasis demonstrate the need for developing alternative treatments. Several studies conducted with Morinda citrifolia have shown various biological activities, including antileishmanial activity, however its mechanisms of action are unknown. This study aimed to analyze the in vivo activity of M.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, there are no worldwide licensed vaccines for Rift Valley fever (RVF) that are both safe and effective. Development and evaluation of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments depend on the availability of appropriate animal models. Animal models are also necessary to understand the basic pathobiology of infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes disease in livestock and humans. It can be transmitted by mosquitoes, inhalation or physical contact with the body fluids of infected animals. Severe clinical cases are characterized by acute hepatitis with hemorrhage, meningoencephalitis and/or retinitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRift Valley fever (RVF) is an arthropod-borne viral disease repeatedly reported in many African countries and, more recently, in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. RVF virus (RVFV) primarily infects domesticated ruminants, resulting in miscarriage in pregnant females and death for newborns and young animals. It also has the ability to infect humans, causing a feverish syndrome, meningoencephalitis, or hemorrhagic fever.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInbred mouse strains exhibit differences in susceptibility to influenza A infections. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are unknown. Therefore, we infected a highly susceptible mouse strain (DBA/2J) and a resistant strain (C57BL/6J) with influenza A H1N1 (PR8) and performed genome-wide expression analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActinomycin (ActD) is an antibiotic that binds DNA, preventing transcription. When a Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice is treated with this drug, the parasite loses its ability to multiply, enabling protection. In this study, axenic cultured T.
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