Latest Visceral leishmaniasis Stories

Leishmaniasis is the second most mortal tropical parasitic disease A research coordinated by the UAB has succeeded in testing a vaccine against leishmaniasis. The vaccine was tested with the best animal model existing, the golden hamster, and can be produced at low costs by using insect larvae. The research, published in the latest edition of PLoS ONE, is an important step towards the fight against a disease which causes the death of 70,000 people each year in developing countries and of...

Genome research for the health of the poorest of the poor Belgian scientists of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium made a breakthrough in bridging high tech molecular biology research on microbial pathogens and the needs of the poorest of the poor. After sequencing the complete genome of Leishmania donovani (a parasite causing one of the most important tropical diseases after malaria) in hundreds of clinical isolates, they identified a series of mutations specific...

DNDi welcomes World Health Organization expert recommendations to begin negotiations for an R&D convention at the World Health Assembly After a decade-long process of analysis and deliberations on ways to better address the health needs of developing countries, a recently released report of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG) will be discussed this week at the 65th World Health Assembly (agenda item 13.14). The Drugs for...

As disease expands global reach, Infectious Disease Research Institute teams up with India to target most deadly form of leishmaniasis SEATTLE, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first clinical trial of a new vaccine for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been launched by the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a Seattle-based nonprofit that develops products to prevent, detect, and treat diseases of poverty. The Phase 1 trial is taking place in Washington State,...

Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified fexinidazole as a possible, much-needed, new treatment for the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is named after William Leishman, a Glasgwegian doctor serving with the British Army in India, who first identified the parasite in the early 1900s. The disease is the second biggest killer in Africa, Asia and Latin America after malaria, and affects 500,000 people, killing about 50-60,000 patients per year. Current...

On the occasion of today's high-level event in London, 'Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases,' organized in support of the new World Health Organization (WHO) Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) 2020 Roadmap, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) welcomes the commitments from various partners and emphasizes that filling the major gaps in research and development (R&D) for new treatment and diagnostic tools is key to effectively support elimination or control of targeted...

Parasite genomes speak of evolution by changes in gene, region and chromosome number, not by mutation in genes Two remarkable discoveries were today revealed by researchers into genome analysis of Leishmania parasites. These results uncovered a surprising level of variation at the genome structure level. First, they found that the DNA sequence of individual strains of each species populations is almost completely identical. It appears that only a small number of genes may cause...

East Africa is fighting the worst kala azar outbreak in a decade. Collaboration across the region through the Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform (LEAP) has resulted in the development of a new combination therapy (SSG&PM) which is cheaper and nearly halves the length of treatment from a 30 day course of injections to 17 days. East African endemic countries are taking the necessary regulatory measures to use it in their programs, but experts warn that without international funding or...

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that salivary components from a Leishmania vector play a relevant and direct role on neutrophils, which influence parasite burden For millions of people who live under the constant threat of Leishmania infection, a new discovery by Brazilian scientists may lead to new breakthroughs, preventing these parasites from taking hold in the body or reducing the severity of infections once they occur. In a new report appearing in...

A new formulation of Amphotericin B (AmB) developed by University of British Columbia researchers has been shown to be stable in tropical climates and effective in treating Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in mouse models.VL is a blood-born parasitic disease that afflicts 12 million people worldwide, mainly in developing countries and tropical regions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.5 million new cases of the disease are reported every year, and 60,000 people die from it.AmB,...