Leishmania donovani in Indian Mucosal Leishmaniasis Jan 17, 2008
NEJM -- Indian Mucosal Leishmaniasis Due to Leishmania donovani Infection ... Indian Mucosal Leishmaniasis Due to Leishmania donovani Infection. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Freed Colombian hostage meets with lost son Jan 16, 2008
Emmanuel was handed to state health services with a broken arm and leishmaniasis -- a parasitic disease that causes fever, coughing and diarrhea -- after he was taken away from his mother. He will undergo a series of psychological and medical exams and could be returned to his mother in two weeks, Forero said. (CNN -- World)
Reborn: ex-hostage reunited with son Jan 15, 2008
Rojas said that when the baby was eight months old she allowed the rebels to take him to a government health centre for treatment of leishmaniasis, a tropical skin disease, and was told he would be returned in two weeks. But she was transferred to a different prison camp under the command of new rebel leader and did not see her son again. (Guardian Unlimited)
A mother's ordeal in jungle ends; former hostage reunited with son Jan 15, 2008
The baby suffered from leishmaniasis, a jungle parasite. The rebels took Emmanuel from his mother on Jan. 23, 2005. (Boston Globe)
Sent to bed with an iron shackle around her neck Jan 13, 2008
But her child's arm broke during delivery, and he seemed to have leishmaniasis, a serious skin disease common in the jungle. The FARC asked Rojas to agree to send the then 8-month-old child to a doctor and bring him back in two weeks. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Freed Colombian Hostages Relate Ordeal Jan 13, 2008
When the boy was 8 months old, Rojas said she allowed the rebels to take him away for two weeks to receive treatment for the broken arm and leishmaniasis, a parasite malady common in the jungle. "I didn't hear any news of the boy again until Dec. 31," she said. (ABC 7 News, DC)
Insects finished of the dinosaurs Jan 8, 2008
Poinar has previously reporting finding the leishmaniasis pathogen in the gut of one insect from the late Cretaceous and organisms that cause malaria in another. Blood-sucking insects could have caused epidemics that wore down dinosaur populations. (Nature News Service)
Insects, not meteor, killed dinosaurs: study Jan 7, 2008
He argues that fatal diseases including leishmaniasis and malaria, which have been extracted by scientists from the bodies of ancient insects, could hold the clue to the extinction of dinosaurs. These diseases could have found their way into the bloodstream of the prehistoric mammals through a simple bite. (Ninemsn)
Tiny pests may have toppled the dinosaur Jan 7, 2008
In the gut of one biting insect preserved in fossilised tree sap from that era the team found the pathogen that causes the parasitic disease leishmaniasis and in another they found a malarial parasite that infects birds and lizards. They also found insect-borne parasitic microbes in fossilised dinosaur faeces. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Colombia gripped by hostage saga Jan 6, 2008
He had a fractured arm, suffered from malnutrition and had leishmaniasis, an ailment common in the jungle, authorities in Colombia said at a press conference. A few weeks ago, with a deal in the works to free three hostages, the FARC demanded that Gomez retrieve the boy by December 30, Colombian authorities told CNN. Yet when Gomez tried to reclaim the child, he aroused suspicion by saying he was the boy's father -- not his great-uncle, as he had claimed to be in 2005, Gutierrez said. (CNN -- World)
Insects contributed to dinosaur's demise, book says Jan 5, 2008
The gut of a biting insect from the late Cretaceous period, preserved in amber, contained the pathogen that causes the disease leishmaniasis, which is potentially fatal. Another insect had organisms that cause malaria. (CBC News)
Company's aim: better drugs for world's poor Dec 27, 2007
LEISHMANIASIS: About 1. 5 million people in Central and South America, Africa and Asia are infected every year. (News & Observer)
Neglected tropical diseases burden those overseas, but travelers also at risk Dec 26, 2007
Though little known to most Americans, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, leishmaniasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and other so-called neglected tropical diseases are responsible for severe health burdens, especially among the worlds poorest people. Together, it is estimated that these illnesses, most of which are caused by worms or other parasites, rank sixth among all conditions worldwide in robbing people of quality of life and life itself through disability or premature death,... (EurekAlert!)
Alarming Rise In Substance Abuse Among Somali Combatants Dec 12, 2007
2, 2007) Scientists analyzed data on 1,671 patients with visceral leishmaniasis admitted to the Huddur health center in Bakool Region, Somalia, from January 2002 until December 2006. "The experience suggests ... > (Nov. 16, 2004) In research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology a team of researchers from Imperial College London, the Health Protection Agency, Medical Research Council and GlaxoSmithKline analysed ... > (Aug. 10, 2007) UK estimates of "drug-related deaths" include... (Science Daily)
Gates Foundation gives $30M to combat malaria Dec 7, 2007
In September 2006, the Gates Foundation awarded the Infectious Disease Research Institute a $32 million grant for vaccine work on a parasitic disease called leishmaniasis that affects more than 12 million people worldwide. Related Industry News. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Earlier bites by uninfected mosquitoes boost West Nile deaths in lab mice Nov 16, 2007
Previous work has clearly indicated that pre-exposure to the bites of uninfected sand flies has a protective effect for mice against cutaneous leishmaniasis, said Dr. Lynn Soong, the papers other senior author and an immunologist who works on the sand fly-transmitted protozoan parasite infection, dubbed Baghdad boil by American troops in the Middle East. Since this goes against the work weve seen with both bacteria and parasites, we definitely didnt expect this result, Schneider said. (EurekAlert!)
OneWorld Health starts testing drug in India Nov 7, 2007
This program will test injections of Paromomycin IM as a treatment for visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar. The drug has already been approved by Indian regulators, and this test will monitor its use by doctors in rural areas of Bihar State, a poor section of northern India. (San Francisco Business Journal)
Major Increase In Visceral Leishmaniasis Found In War-torn Somalia Nov 3, 2007
2, 2007) The international humanitarian organization M;decins Sans Fronti;res has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of patients with the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis ("kala azar") admitted to its treatment center in Somalia ... Marie-Eve Raguenaud (MSF Medical Department, Brussels, Belgium) and colleagues analyzed data on 1,671 patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) admitted to the Huddur health center in Bakool Region, Somalia, from January 2002 until December 2006 ...... (Science Daily)
Sandfly-transmitted disease up sharply in Somalia Nov 1, 2007
Doctors staffing a Medecins Sans Frontieres health clinic in Huddur, south central Bakool, observed that yearly admissions for visceral leishmaniasis jumped sevenfold to 1,002 in 2006 from an average of 140 yearly from 2002 to 2005 ... There are 500,000 new cases of visceral leishmaniasis a year and over 90 percent of them occur in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, and Brazil. (AlertNet)
Seattle research institute gets $250K grant Oct 21, 2007
The grant money will be used by IDRI to buy large equipment used to study diseases including leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, trachoma, Buruli ulcer, leprosy and Chagas' disease. Related Industry News. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Infectious Disease Research Institute Receives Grant for Acquisition of Core Research Equipment from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Oct 19, 2007
IDRI projects enabled under the Murdock grant are focused on chronic infections resulting in leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, trachoma, Buruli ulcer, leprosy, and Chagas disease ... Targeted Diseases -- Leishmaniasis, transmitted by the bite of a sandfly and caused by Leishmania infection, is endemic in 88 countries ... Approximately 15 million new cases of leishmaniasis occur each year. (PR Newswire)
Fast Facts: Pakistan Oct 18, 2007
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with... (CBS News -- World)
Bangalore company sees R&D scope in neglected diseases Oct 13, 2007
New Delhi /Mumbai: Having signed its first drug development deal for liver disease leishmaniasis (known as kala-azar in India) with a global health agency, Bangalores Advinus Therapeutics Pvt ... On Thursday, Advinus had signed a five-year agreement with a Geneva-based not-for-profit health agency, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, to develop drugs for kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis, a disease affecting the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes, and infecting more than... (Livemint)
Advinus to develop drugs for neglected diseases Oct 13, 2007
Tata group promoted contract drug research company Advinus Therapeutics has joined hands with the Neglected Diseases initiative - a non-profit research and development organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland - for the discovery and development of novel drugs for visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar), a fatal infectious disease of developing countries including India. The collaboration, which is for a five-year period (may be extended if needed), will be the first of its kind in India to discover... (Business Standard)
Safer Drugs For Tropical Disease Leishmaniasis Under Development Oct 5, 2007
The fight against the deadly tropical disease Leishmaniasis, also known as black fever, has been boosted by scientists at the University of Durham, whose new screening system has raised the possibility of new, safer drugs. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease found largely in the tropics which the World Health Organisation has estimated infects 12 million people worldwide each year ... In the tropical regions Leishmaniasis is transmitted by sandflies but more recently cases have been reported in... (Science Daily)
Infectious skin disease found in Texas... Sep 17, 2007
DALLAS, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Texas doctors have identified nine cases of the skin disease leishmaniasis in patients who have not traveled to endemic areas ... The disease is caused by a single-celled parasite called Leishmania, and special cultures must be done to confirm the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, the hospital said Friday in a release ... Dr. Kent Aftergut said all of the leishmaniasis cases in North Texas appear to be Leishmania mexicana, which is less dangerous than other forms of the... (The Drudge Report)
Infectious Skin Disease Popping Up In Texas Sep 16, 2007
It's called Leishmaniasis, or "Baghdad Boils" by the troops serving overseas ... The particular strain that doctors are finding is called Leishmaniasis Mexicana, and it originated here ... For more information on Leishmaniasis, visit the. (CBS 11, TX)
Skin Disease Caused By Parasite Turns Up In Texas Sep 16, 2007
After hearing about a couple of leishmaniasis cases last year in northeast Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, the health department made the condition one of the diseases that doctors must report when diagnosed. In North Texas, doctors say patients are likely becoming infected when a sand fly bites a burrowing wood rat, which carries the parasite, and then bites a human. (KWTX.com, TX)
Texas Sees Nine Cases Of 'Baghdad Boil' Sep 15, 2007
Nine Leishmaniasis Cases Found In Non-Travelers ... The disease, formally known as leishmaniasis, is common in South America, Mexico and the Middle East and had been found before in troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, but is now showing up in people who have not traveled to the area, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers said ... The disease is caused by a single-celled parasite called Leishmania, and special cultures must be done in order to confirm the diagnosis... (Click2Houston, TX)
Dermatologists identify North Texas leishmaniasis outbreak Sep 14, 2007
Numerous cases of the disease, called leishmaniasis, have been reported in troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan ... The disease is caused by a single-celled parasite called Leishmania, and special cultures must be done in order to confirm the diagnosis of leishmaniasis ... Luckily, all of the leishmaniasis cases in North Texas that have been cultured have grown Leishmania mexicana, which is less dangerous than other forms of the parasite, he said. (EurekAlert!)
The Baghdad boil deploys to the U.S. Sep 1, 2007
The disease has since been called leishmaniasis, although in certain precincts it is variously called Baghdad boil, Aleppo boil, espundia or Dumdum fever (named after a town in India) ... The protozoan parasite, called Leishmania donovani, embraces over 30 sub-species, some causing the fatal disease (now called visceral leishmaniasis) while other sub-species cause only a disfiguring infection of the skin (cutaneous leishmaniasis), the latter manifestation of kala azar particularly prevalent in... (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Vetscriptions.co.uk Joins the Battle Against New Exotic Diseases Aug 22, 2007
The vets and pharmacy staff at are advising all owners of traveling pets that despite these tight controls on re-entry, vets across the UK are now beginning to identify previously unknown diseases such as Heartworm, Leishmaniasis and Erhlichiosis, with sometimes disastrous consequences. "These diseases can be difficult to identify" says Andrew Prentis "at least in part due to most UK vets' unfamiliarity with them, and they can present considerable treatment problems. We advise all our customers... (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Flesh-eating Disease Is On The Rise Due To Global Warming, Experts Warn Aug 17, 2007
Leishmaniasis, a flesh-eating disease, is expected to increase dramatically if global warming trends continue ... Should global warming continue to ravage our planet at current rates, the numbers of people suffering Leishmaniasis, a flesh-eating and sometimes fatal disease will increase dramatically, experts warn ... Leishmaniasis is caused by a parasite transmitted via sand fly bites usually found only in tropical climates. (Science Daily)
Air Force Medics Take Medical Mission to Bolivia Aug 2, 2007
"Leishmaniasis (a rare skin disease) is endemic in South West Asia, so for us to see similar diseases here gives exposure to some of the (medics) who have not yet deployed.". Along with the added benefits of providing care to the Bolivians and treating foreign illnesses, the team gained a wealth of mobilization experience that started well before arriving and treating their first patient. (DOD DefenseLINK)
New possibilities from parasite bites Jun 21, 2007
By comparing three parasite species that cause the disease leishmaniasis, British researchers have identified a small number of genes that could provide the framework to target the search for new treatments. Leishmaniasis is a crippling disease that affects about two million people every year in the UK, highlighting the need for new urgent treatments ... In their report, the researchers compared the genomes of L. infantum and L. braziliensis, which cause life-threatening visceral and disfiguring... (Scenta.co.uk)
New Leishmania Genome Sequences Highlight Gene Targets For Treatment Development Jun 19, 2007
A comparison of three parasite species that cause Leishmaniasis has identified a small number of genes, many new to biology, that will provide a framework to target the search for new treatments. Leishmaniasis is a devastating disease that affects about two million people each year and threatens one-fifth of the world's population and new treatments are desperately needed ... In their report in Nature Genetics the researchers compared the genomes of L. infantum and L. braziliensis, which cause... (Science Daily)
Potent possibilities for parasite attack Jun 18, 2007
A comparison of three parasite species that cause Leishmaniasis has identified a small number of genes, many new to biology, that will provide a framework to target the search for new treatments. Leishmaniasis is a devastating disease that affects about two million people each year and threatens one-fifth of the world's population and new treatments are desperately needed ... In their report in Nature Genetics, published online on Sunday 17 June 2007, the researchers compared the genomes of L.... (EurekAlert!)
Infectious Disease Research Institute and Chembio to Develop Tests for Leishmaniasis and Leprosy May 31, 2007
Joint project will develop accurate, field-friendly, low-cost, diagnostic tests for two 'neglected diseases' SEATTLE, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) and Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CEMI) have entered into two research and development agreements for the development of rapid diagnostic tests for Leishmaniasis and Leprosy, two "neglected diseases" targeted by IDRI. The tests will be developed by Chembio using Chembio's... (PR Newswire)
rats, snakes. May 31, 2007
Then the diagnosis: visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease ... "There were some places that soldiers and other Vector Control workers absolutely wouldn't go because of leishmaniasis," says Manon. (The Palm Beach Post)
Antifolate therapies found effective against certain type of malaria May 23, 2007
of HealthNet TPO Malaria and Leishmaniasis Control Programme, Peshawar, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan, and colleagues tested the relative efficacy and safety of two antifolate drugs (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and chlorproguanil-dapsone) against P vivax malaria and compared each with chloroquine. There are an estimated 70 million to 80 million cases of P vivax each year, accounting for more than 50 percent of all malaria cases outside Africa. (EurekAlert!)
Mosquito genome leaves researchers itching for more May 18, 2007
At various stages in the sequencing process are: the deer tick, a scourge particularly in the United States because it can carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease; the body louse, which c 00000AC8 an cause epidemic typhus; two different sand flies that can transmit leishmaniasis; and the tsetse fly, which can spread African sleeping sickness. Visit our to read and post comments about this story. (Nature News Service)
Teaching, research hailed May 16, 2007
Gregory Lanzaro conducts research on two of the most important diseases in the developing world: malaria and leishmaniasis ... Leishmaniasis infects 12 million people in 88 countries, with symptoms ranging from benign skin lesions to life-threatening visceral disease ... Through his research on sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis, Lanzaro has demonstrated that the composition of fly saliva is extremely variable and that this serves as a mechanism to avoid the host immune response. (Davis Enterprise, CA)
Health officials renew Indo-US Vaccine Action Program May 9, 2007
VAPs research priorities include acute respiratory illnesses, hepatitis, rotavirus diarrhea, cholera, leishmaniasis, typhoid, rabies, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Roger Glass M.D., Ph. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Spread of disease tied to US combat deployments May 7, 2007
Leishmaniasis , which is transmitted through the bite of the tiny sand fly, usually shows up in the form of reddish skin ulcers on the face, hands, arms, or legs ... The spread of leishmaniasis (pronounced LEASH-ma-NYE-a-sis) is part of a trend of emerging infectious diseases in the United States in recent years as a result of military deployments, as well as the pursuit of adventure travel and far-flung business opportunities in the developing world, health officials say ... Nathan Yang , 42, a... (Boston Globe)
FEATURE-Disfiguring skin disease plagues Afghanistan May 7, 2007
The girl has leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by a tiny sandfly that can lead to severe scarring, often on the face ... "Of course, this doesn't look good," the father, Najibullah, said at a leishmaniasis clinic crowded with children with sores in the Afghan capital, Kabul ... Leishmaniasis isn't a priority for the government and its aid donors, grappling with shocking rates of infant mortality, tuberculosis, malaria and trauma. (AlertNet)
Medical Entomologist Gregory Lanzaro Wins Research Award Davis, May. 04 May 5, 2007
Medical entomologist Gregory Lanzaro is the recipient of the 2007 Academic Federation Award for Excellence in Research at the University of California, Davis, for his work on both the mosquito that transmits malaria and the blood-sucking sand fly that transmits visceral leishmaniasis ... Leishmaniasis, ranked by the World Health Organization as one of the 10 most important infectious diseases of the developing world, infects 12 million people in 88 countries ... More than 90 percent of the... (University of California Newswire, CA)
US Navy Healthcare Apr 13, 2007
She said the health needs of the people came into the limelight four years ago when the community was plagued with the Leishmaniasis disease popularly known as " agbamekanu" a skin disease, which attracted the medical team into the area. Captain Lovett said two dermatologists were part of the team to help find solutions to skin problems of people in the community to make life better for them. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
OneWorld Health selects Odyssey Research for phase 4 study in India Mar 29, 2007
Paromomycin IM injection treatment for deadly visceral leishmaniasis. SAN FRANCISCO, USA / NEW DELHI, INDIA March 28, 2007 -- The Institute for OneWorld Health, a US-based non-profit pharmaceutical company that develops drugs for people with neglected diseases in the developing world, today announced the selection of Odyssey Research, a Bismarck, North Dakota-based clinical trial management organization (TMO) with offices in New Delhi, India, to support its upcoming Phase 4 pharmacovigilance... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Fear more dangerous than sharks Mar 26, 2007
Ever heard of trypanosomiasis, or leishmaniasis. Chances are you havent, even though humans are more likely to die from these relatively unknown diseases than from a shark attack. (Saanich News)
Researcher Finds New Way To Treat Devastating Fungal Infections Mar 6, 2007
He notes that Amphotericin B is also used to treat Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that affects an estimated two million people worldwide according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the U.S.. "This research was triggered by clinicians needing a way to kill these fungal infections without risking the patient's kidney," says Wasan, who is a Distinguished University Scholar and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Drug Development. (Science Daily)
Wireless: Cellphones open front in global fight against disease Mar 4, 2007
First deployed five years ago to track disease outbreaks in the Amazon basin, Voxiva's system is also being used in Indonesia for avian flu reporting and in India to test a new drug for leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sand flies. In Rwanda, the system started tracking HIV/AIDS patients two years ago and now connects 75 percent of the country's 340 clinics, covering a total of 32,000 patients. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
VioQuest Pharmaceuticals Gives Series of Live Interviews on 'Steve Crowley's American Scene' Financial Talk-Radio Program Mar 3, 2007
Additionally, Mr. Greenleaf will discuss the upcoming NDA filing for leishmaniasis for VQD-001 ... In addition, VioQuest and the U.S. Army are planning to submit an NDA to the FDA in 2007 for VQD-001 for the treatment of leishmaniasis ... Among other things, there can be no assurances that the FDA will approve VioQuest's planned NDA submission relating to VQD-001 for the treatment of leishmaniasis, and even if approved, there is no assurance that VioQuest will be able to successfully... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Bitter pills Feb 14, 2007
Sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, along with malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, account for 90 per cent of the world's disease burden, yet attract just 10 per cent of health research efforts, says the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres. One of the final frontiers in providing access to safe, effective and affordable medicines are generic brands. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Scientists Sequence Genome Of Parasite Responsible For Common Sexually Transmitted Infection Jan 12, 2007
Leishmaniasis, a disabling and sometimes deadly. . (Science Daily)
Climate change brings malaria back to Italy Jan 7, 2007
A third ailment, visceral leishmaniasis, carried by sandflies and potentially fatal, is expanding rapidly, the report added. Cases in Italy have risen to 150 a year from 50 before 2000, with the southern region of Campania a hotspot. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Mission to bring cheap drugs to poor Jan 2, 2007
The pair are now working on a drug for visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar - a fatal disease transmitted by the sandfly. Most cases are in Brazil, Bangladesh, India and the Sudan. (Guardian Unlimited)
