Sudan: Kala Azar 'Epidemic' in South Nov 14, 2009
Reported cases of kala azar infection, a deadly disease also known as visceral leishmaniasis, have continued to rise in Southern Sudan, according to medical workers. "We are clearly in the midst of a kala azar epidemic," Jill Seaman, working in the Old Fangak clinic in Jonglei State, run by the Sudan Medical Relief organization, said. (allAfrica.com)
Possible Help In Fight Against Muscle-wasting Disease Nov 13, 2009
Pentamidine carries approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating a severe type of pneumonia in people with weakened immune systems, as well as leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and some yeast infections. However, levels used successfully in the experiments would be toxic in humans, Berglund said. (Science Daily)
Leishmaniasis: New Strategy To Find Drugs To Treat Neglected Parasitic Infection Nov 11, 2009
10, 2009) Using an unconventional approach that they designed, University of Pittsburgh drug discoverers and their collaborators at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have identified compounds that hold promise for treating leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that many consider one of the world's most overlooked diseases ... One of the most potent compounds was further tested in a mouse model of leishmaniasis to confirm it could be effective against the infection ... 5 million new cases of... (Science Daily)
Tap wealth of local products emerging to fight 'neglected' diseases of poor: study Nov 3, 2009
Bhat Biotech (Bangalore, India), sells an immunoassay-based rapid test for leishmaniasis and is developing a diagnostic kit for leprosy ... Lifecare Innovations (Gurgaon, India) offers two treatments for leishmaniasis. (EurekAlert!)
New insight in the fight against the Leishmania parasite Oct 24, 2009
Laval, October 23, 2009 Professor Albert Descoteaux's team at Centre INRS Institut Armand-Frappier has gained a better understanding of how the Leishmania donovani parasite manages to outsmart the human immune system and proliferate with impunity, causing visceral leishmaniasis, a chronic infection that is potentially fatal if left untreated ... Some 350 million people live in areas where leishmaniasis can be contracted ... Leishmaniasis is also found in Mexico and elsewhere in South... (EurekAlert!)
Lengthy International Travel Tied to Health Problems Oct 17, 2009
They were also much more likely to come down with leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by a tiny sandfly that can lead to severe scarring, and the parasitic worm disease schistosomiasis. "Many common infections seen in long-term travelers are preventable by vaccines, vector avoidance, food/water precautions, and avoidance of soil and fresh water," the researchers note. (MEDLINEplus)
What are coral reef services worth? $130,000 to $1.2 million / ht / yr: Experts Oct 16, 2009
"The threat to public health is real, as the majority of emerging diseases come from wildlife," says Dr. Smith, who listed dozens of fevers, encephalitis, Leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis among the health threats. Just 100 inspectors at US borders are tasked with inspecting the shipments, she adds. (EurekAlert!)
Creating Less Toxic Anti-HIV Drugs: Discovery Of Enzyme Structure Points The Way Oct 16, 2009
16, 2009) By discovering the atomic structure of a key human enzyme, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have pointed the way toward designing anti-HIV drugs with far less toxic side effects. Their work was published this week in Cell. (Science Daily)
Major Discovery Opens Door To Leishmania Treatment Oct 8, 2009
(June 10, 2008) Researchers have shown the efficacy of an alternative drug against Leishmania amazonensis, one of the species that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in South America ... 11, 2004) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a "central memory" form of "helper" T cells that can offer immunity to leishmaniasis, a disease that causes considerable. (Science Daily)
BDSI awarded grant from Walter Reed Oct 7, 2009
Currently, the drug, which is used to treat systemic fungal infections such as Esophageal Candidiasis and parasitic diseases such as Leishmaniasis, is delivered intravenously ... Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is found in many areas of the world and has become a key healthcare issue for U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Triangle Business Journal)
Trialling tools for sand-fly control Oct 5, 2009
Chemical and environmental vector control as a contribution to the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis on the Indian subcontinent: cluster randomized controlled trials in Bangladesh, India and Nepal ... Bangladesh, India and Nepal are working towards the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by 2015. (BioMed Central)
Eisai and DNDi Enter Collaboration and License Agreement to Develop New Drug for Chagas Disease Sep 30, 2009
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit product development partnership working to research and develop new and improved treatments for neglected diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis, and Chagas disease. With the objective to address unmet patient needs for these diseases, DNDi was established in 2003 by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from Brazil, the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the... (JCN Network, Japan)
Mice Living In Sandy Hills Quickly Evolved Lighter Coloration Sep 3, 2009
18, 2008) Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease characterized by painful skin ulcers, occurs when the parasite Leishmania major, or a related species, is transmitted to a mammalian host by the bite of an infected. (Jan. (Science Daily)
How flesh bug fools immune system Aug 26, 2009
Scientists have shown how flesh-eating parasites responsible for the disfiguring tropical disease leishmaniasis dupe the immune system ... Leishmaniasis is a serious problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries ... Lead researcher Dr Matthew Rogers said previous studies might have failed to explain leishmaniasis infection because they injected parasites directly into tissue without including the gel plug. (BBC News -- Health)
Scientists fight flesh-eating bug Aug 26, 2009
The flesh-eating disease Leishmaniasis can be fatal ... Leishmaniasis is caused by a parasite transmitted in the bites of sand flies, usually found only in tropical climes ... Military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are also exposed to the conditions associated with contracting Leishmaniasis. (BBC News -- Health)
So Tom and Prncipe: The Forest is the Pharmacy Aug 25, 2009
Po-sabom looked promising against malaria and leishmaniasis, and effective against 14 fungi and four bacteria, including candida albicans, a frequent cause of oral and vaginal infections among HIV-positive people. Thirteen plants are effective against the plasmodium falciparum malarial mosquito. (allAfrica.com)
Parasites Persuade Immune Cells To Invite Them In For Dinner Aug 24, 2009
23, 2009) The parasites that cause leishmaniasis use a quirky trick to convince the immune system to effectively invite them into cells for dinner, according to a new study published today in PLoS Pathogens ... Leishmaniasis is an infection caused by Leishmania parasites that affects around 12 million people per year, mainly in tropical and sub-tropical countries ... Dr Matthew Rogers, lead author of the study from the Division of Investigative Science at Imperial College London, said:... (Science Daily)
New Consortium to Develop Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases Aug 17, 2009
LEIDEN, The Netherlands, August 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A new consortium has been formed to boost drug development for the treatment of two deadly diseases, African sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis, which affect millions of people worldwide ... Rob Leurs (VU University Amsterdam), the project's principal investigator, comments: "African sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis are diseases caused by parasites. Both diseases are prominent on the World Health Organization's list of neglected tropical... (PR Newswire)
UCSF researchers help crack parasite genome, identify drug leads Jul 16, 2009
Established in 2001, the Sandler Center for Basic Research in Parasitic Diseases is a research consortium at UCSF dedicated to the discovery of affordable, safe and effective drugs to treat the "neglected tropical diseases," including Chagas' disease, sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis. For further information, visit. (EurekAlert!)
Africa: Neglected Diseases Under the Microscope Jul 7, 2009
Take the case of visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that affects the internal organs of the body, mainly spleen, liver and bone marrow ... "I have been treating patients for the last 27 years for visceral leishmaniasis using just one drug, sodium stibogluconate. This drug is toxic; it can affect the lungs, kidneys and even the heart. It is also fatal if not administered correctly," Asrat Hailu, professor of immunoparasitology at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia said in an... (allAfrica.com)
U.S. troops help Afghanis survive daily challenges Jun 28, 2009
The sand flies spread the L-disease like mosquitoes spread malaria. The girl received an injection and will receive follow-up injections the next few weeks with the medicine American troops and medical staff left behind. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Non-invasive Method For Early, Serological Diagnosis Of Parkinson’s Disease Developed Jun 25, 2009
29, 2008) Scientists have developed and evaluated new techniques for a better diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis and an improved monitoring of its treatment. Accurately establishing the number of parasites. (Science Daily)
Newsweek: Infectious diseases likely to increase Jun 24, 2009
Among flies, too, malignant species are winning out: as a result of deforestation, sand flies have surged into human populations in South America and South Asia, infecting millions each year with leishmaniasis, a protozoan parasite that causes skin ulcers and attacks the liver, spleen and bone marrow. With ecological collapse, the rapid proliferation of disease agents is only half of the gruesome picture; the other is the demise of nonthreatening species. (MSNBC -- Health)
Fogle's fight Jun 5, 2009
The 35-year-old is to be regularly monitored by doctors for the next few years to ensure the leishmaniasis infection - which he contracted after being bitten by a sand fly in the Peruvian jungle - does not come back again ... "Not that much is known about leishmaniasis, but it can lead to quiet nasty disfigurement and that was my main concern - the long term effect it might have.". (BBC News -- UK)
As plain as the nose on your face May 27, 2009
The disease, mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, can affect the mucus membranes of the mouth, soft palate and nose. The disease, which is severely and permanently disfiguring, left her without a nose. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac -- April 15, 2009 Apr 20, 2009
Those hard-to-treat diseases include leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease. These conditions infect millions of people worldwide each year, killing thousands. (EurekAlert!)
Deadly parasite's rare sexual dalliances may help scientists neutralize it Apr 10, 2009
Infection with the Leishmania parasite, or Leishmaniasis, is mainly spread by sand fly bites and is a major public health problem in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the developing world ... The most severe form of Leishmaniasis, a condition sometimes called black fever, is fatal if left untreated and is estimated to kill more humans than any other parasite except Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria parasite. (EurekAlert!)
Researchers Wage War on Bugs Afflicting Troops Abroad Apr 10, 2009
Leishmaniasis, which causes disfiguring open sores and is spread by sandfly bites, is an enormous concern in the Middle East, White said. The disease infects an estimated 2 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization. (Fox News)
Custom Carbohydrates: New Field Of Medicine? Mar 23, 2009
First Automated Carbohydrate 'Assembly Line' Opens Door To New Field Of Medicine. First Automated Carbohydrate 'Assembly Line' Opens Door To New Field Of Medicine. (Science Daily)
Exotic ills may grow with recession Mar 11, 2009
To most Americans, diseases with names like dengue fever, chikungunya, malaria, Chagas and leishmaniasis might sound like something out of a Victorian explorers tales of hacking through African jungles ... Once conquered, now returningDiseases such as Chagas and leishmaniasis affect more than 13 million people around the world each year, according to experts ... In a June 2008 article in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Dr. Peter Hotez, chairman of the department of... (MSNBC -- Health)
More Funds Needed for Lesser Known Tropical Diseases Feb 7, 2009
Diseases such as sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and Chagas disease affect more than 13 million people around the world each year but collectively received only 4 ... Leishmaniasis is a skin disease caused by protozoan parasites and is transmitted by a species of sandfly. (MEDLINEplus)
