Indian kala-azar caused by Leishmania tropica.
Kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, in India is generally assumed to be a result of infection with Leishmania donovani. 15 parasite isolates collected over the past 10 years from patients with classical disease were typed by monoclonal antibodies, isoenzymes, and kDNA analysis. 4 were shown to be L tropica, a species historically associated with cutaneous disease and more recently a mild "visceralising" disease from the Desert Storm experience. The results confirm that L tropica is a co-endemic agent of visceral leishmaniasis in India, and may shed light on the rising frequency of therapeutic unresponsiveness to sodium antimony gluconate, which complicates treatment of this lethal disease.
Sacks
D L
DL
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Kenney
R T
RT
Kreutzer
R D
RD
Jaffe
C L
CL
Gupta
A K
AK
Sharma
M C
MC
Sinha
S P
SP
Neva
F A
FA
Saran
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male