The parasiticidal effect of electricity on Leishmania major, both in vitro and in vivo.
The effects of low electrical potentials on Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) were investigated both in culture (in terms of promastigote viability) and in experimentally infected BALB/c and NMRI mice (in terms of the cure of pre-existing skin lesions). Exposure to direct-current potentials of 3, 6, 9 and 12 V (at 0.2-10.7 mA) killed all promastigotes in <15, <10, <10 and <10 min, respectively. When electrodes were used to pass similar direct currents across skin lesions on the tails of infected mice, all but the lowest voltage (3 V) caused unwanted ulceration. At 3 V, however, 3 weeks of electrotherapy, for 10 min twice weekly, initially appeared to cure all the lesions and the therapy was then halted. If given no electrotherapy, the BALB/c mice showed much greater Leishmania-attributable morbidity and mortality than the NMRI mice, and it was only in the treated BALB/c mice that relapses were observed, about 3 weeks after electrotherapy had ceased. The possible clinical use of electrotherapy in the treatment of human cutaneous leishmaniasis is discussed.
Hejazi
H
H
Department of Mycology and Parasitology, Esfahan Medical Sciences University, Esfahan, Iran.
Eslami
G
G
Dalimi
A
A
D000818:Animals; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D004566:Electrodes; D005260:Female; D018320:Leishmania major; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000469:parasitology / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors