title: Serum interferon activity of patients with leishmaniasis.
abstract: Serum from a significant proportion of 29 cutaneous and 12 mucocutaneous leishmaniasis patients exhibited interferon activity in a cytopathic assay: positive tests were obtained for 24.1% and 41.7% of the patients, respectively. Similar positive frequencies were observed in other parasitic diseases (schistosomiasis, 12.5%; toxoplasmosis, 20%; Chagas' disease, 16%; leprosy, 12.5%; tuberculosis, 30%). In contrast, none of the 44 serum samples from American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) patients had interferon activity during the active stage of the disease. However, 13% of the samples obtained from patients recovered from AVL were positive.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Prof. Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal de Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barral-Netto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Badaró
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Falcoff
mesh_terms: D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000097:blood*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000097:blood*; D007897:Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous / Q000097:blood; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007372:Interferons