title: Immunochemotherapy for a systemic intracellular infection: accelerated response using interferon-gamma in visceral leishmaniasis.
abstract: To determine if cytokine immunotherapy accelerates the response to conventional treatment in visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), previously untreated Indian patients were given antimony for 30 days (n = 15) or antimony plus interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma; n = 16). After 10 days, 10 (63%) of 16 patients treated with antimony plus IFN-gamma versus 1 (7%) of 15 randomized to antimony alone were considered cured of parasites (P < .005). On day 20, 14 (93%) of 15 versus 6 (40%) of 15 patients, respectively, were apparent clinical cures (P < .006), and treatment was discontinued early in the 14 IFN-gamma treated responders. Day 30 apparent cure rates (100% vs. 73%) and 6-month ultimate cure responses (87% vs. 60%) were higher in IFN-gamma-treated patients but not statistically different from controls (P > .05). All 13 IFN-gamma-treated subjects who were cured (12 of whom received therapy for 20 days) have remained healthy with follow-up of 14-24 months (mean, 18.9). These results indicate that IFN-gamma successfully accelerates the parasitologic and clinical response to antimony treatment, an effect that should permit shortening the duration of conventional therapy in previously untreated kala-azar.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sundar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosenkaimer
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lesser
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000965:Antimony / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D000965:Antimony