First Case of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in Suriname

Hu, Ricardo V. P. F.; Kent, Alida D.; Adams, Emily R.; Veer, Charlotte van der; Sabajo, Leslie O. A.; Mans, Dennis R.A.; Vries, Henry J. C. de; Schallig, Henk D. F. H.; Fat, R. F. M. Lai A

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0728

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…flaviscutellata constituted approximately 10, 4, and 1%, respectively, of the total number of captured sand flies, and are proven vectors of L. (V.) lainsoni [21], L. (V.) guyanensis [9], and L. (L.) amazonensis [9], respectively. Together, these findings are well in agreement with the identification of the various Leishmania species as causative agents of leishmaniasis in Suriname [10,12-14], providing a plausible explanation for their presence in the country.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Studies on the sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in high-transmission areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Republic of Suriname

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundSand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are the vectors of Leishmania parasites, the causative agents of leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an increasing public health problem in the Republic of Suriname and is mainly caused by Leishmania (Vianna) guyanensis, but L. (V.) braziliensis, L. (L.) amazonensis, and L. (V.) naiffi also infect humans. Transmission occurs predominantly in the forested hinterland of the country. Information regarding the potential vectors of leishmaniasis in Suriname is limited. This study aims to broaden the knowledge about vectors involved in the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Suriname. For this purpose, sand flies were characterized in various foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the country, the districts of Para, Brokopondo, and Sipaliwini.MethodsSand flies were collected in areas around mining plots and villages using CDC light traps in the period between February 2011 and March 2013. They were categorized by examination of the spermathecea (females) and the external genitalia (males).ResultsA total of 2,743 sand fly specimens belonging to 34 different species were captured, including four species (Lutzomyia aragaoi, Lu. ayrozai, Lu. damascenoi, and Lu. sordellii) that had never before been described for Suriname. Five percent of the catch comprised Lu. squamiventris sensu lato, one female of which was positive with L. (V.) braziliensis and was captured in a gold mining area in Brokopondo. Other sand fly species found positive for Leishmania parasites were Lu. trichopyga, Lu. ininii, and Lu. umbratilis, comprising 32, 8, and 4%, respectively, of the catch. These were captured at gold mining areas in Brokopondo and Sipaliwini, but the Leishmania parasites they had ingested could not be identified due to insufficient amounts of DNA.ConclusionsThe sand fly fauna in Suriname is highly diverse and comprises Lutzomyia species capable of transmitting Leishmania parasites. Four new Lutzomyia species have been found, and four species - Lu. squamiventris (s.l.), Lu. trichopyga, Lu. ininii, and Lu. umbratilis - have been found to harbor Leishmania parasites. The latter were among the most abundant species captured. These observations may contribute to the understanding of leishmaniasis transmission and the development of control programs in Suriname.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Studies on the sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in high-transmission areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Republic of Suriname

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1) was used in the past for the treatment of antimony-resistant visceral leishmaniasis infections, but response rates have decreased with time (Olliaro et al 2005) as illustrated by a clinical study published in 2009 showing that pentamidine was inferior to amphotericin B in treating antimony-resistant visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India (Das et al 2009). Pentamidine is currently the treatment of choice for cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania guyanensis (van der Meide et al 2009; Hu et al 2012) and is also a recommended drug against Leishmania panamensis (World Health Organization, 2010) despite the fact that the clinical antileishmanial efficacy of pentamidine is relatively low. For example, while the administration of three 4mg kg −1 doses of pentamidine by the intramuscular route was as effective as higher doses of meglumine antimoniate against cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. guyanensis , the cure rate after 6 months was only 58·1% (Neves et al 2011).…”

Section: Efficacy and Selectivity Of Amidines And Their Derivatives Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel amidines and analogues as promising agents against intracellular parasites: a systematic review

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Parasitic protozoa comprise diverse aetiological agents responsible for important diseases in humans and animals including sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, toxoplasmosis and others. They are major causes of mortality and morbidity in tropical and subtropical countries, and are also responsible for important economic losses. However, up to now, for most of these parasitic diseases, effective vaccines are lacking and the approved chemotherapeutic compounds present high toxicity, increasing resistance, limited efficacy and require long periods of treatment. Many of these parasitic illnesses predominantly affect low-income populations of developing countries for which new pharmaceutical alternatives are urgently needed. Thus, very low research funding is available. Amidine-containing compounds such as pentamidine are DNA minor groove binders with a broad spectrum of activities against human and veterinary pathogens. Due to their promising microbicidal activity but their rather poor bioavailability and high toxicity, many analogues and derivatives, including pro-drugs, have been synthesized and screened in vitro and in vivo in order to improve their selectivity and pharmacological properties. This review summarizes the knowledge on amidines and analogues with respect to their synthesis, pharmacological profile, mechanistic and biological effects upon a range of intracellular protozoan parasites. The bulk of these data may contribute to the future design and structure optimization of new aromatic dicationic compounds as novel antiparasitic drug candidates.

show abstract

“…guyanensis has yet to be demonstrated. However, PI is not always effective, possibly because of infections with other Leishmania species . Molecular characterization of the parasites, particularly with PCR‐based methods, is the most sensitive single diagnostic test for CL .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring the response of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis to treatment with pentamidine isethionate by quantitative real-time PCR, and identification ofLeishmaniaparasites not responding to therapy

Mans

Kent

Hu³

et al. 2015

Clin Exp Dermatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryBackground. Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis is believed to be the principal cause of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Suriname. This disease is treated with pentamidine isethionate (PI), but treatment failure has increasingly been reported. Aim. To evaluate PI for its clinical efficacy, to compare parasite load, and to assess the possibility of treatment failure due to other infecting Leishmania species. Methods. Parasite load of patients with CL was determined in skin biopsies using real-time quantitative PCR before treatment and 6 and 12 weeks after treatment. Clinical responses were evaluated at week 12 and compared with parasite load. In parallel, molecular species differentiation was performed. Results. L. (V.) guyanensis was the main infecting species in 129 of 143 patients (about 90%). PI treatment led to a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in parasite counts, and cured about 75% of these patients. Treatment failure was attributable to infections with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and L. (V.) guyanensis (1/92, 1/92 and 22/92 evaluable cases, respectively). There was substantial agreement beyond chance between the parasite load at week 6 and the clinical outcome at week 12, as indicated by the j value of 0.61. Conclusions. L. (V.) guyanensis is the main infecting species of CL in Suriname, followed by L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (L.) amazonensis. Furthermore, patient response to PI can be better anticipated based on the parasite load 6 weeks after the treatment rather than on parasite load before treatment.

show abstract

First Case of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in Suriname

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

Studies on the sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in high-transmission areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Republic of Suriname

Studies on the sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in high-transmission areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Republic of Suriname

Novel amidines and analogues as promising agents against intracellular parasites: a systematic review

Monitoring the response of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis to treatment with pentamidine isethionate by quantitative real-time PCR, and identification ofLeishmaniaparasites not responding to therapy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About