title: Response to interferon-gamma plus pentavalent antimony in Indian visceral leishmaniasis.
abstract: One hundred fifty-six previously untreated Indian patients with visceral leishmaniasis were treated with pentavalent antimony (Sb) alone for 30 days (group A), Sb plus interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) for 30 days (group B), or Sb plus IFN-gamma for 15 days (group C). The purpose was to show that IFN-gamma would increase the response to 30 days of Sb treatment and that short-course (15 days) combination therapy was as effective as 30 days of Sb alone. Six months after treatment, 36% of group A, 49% of group B, and 42% of group C patients were designated as definitively cured. The success rates for long-term responses to Sb alone (36%) and Sb plus IFN-gamma (49%) were unexpectedly low, and responses in groups A, B, and C were not significantly different. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of adjunctive IFN-gamma in visceral leishmaniasis may be limited in regions where this disseminated intracellular infection shows high-level resistance to Sb.
authors.affiliation: Kala-Azar Medical Research Center, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sundar
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Makharia
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000965:Antimony / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D000965:Antimony