Survival of the Fittest Parasite
Ever the resourceful parasite, Leishmania co-opts a natural antibody from blood to breed. (Source: The Scientist)
Source: The Scientist - March 1, 2024 Category: Science Tags: Magazine Issue Source Type: news
A Disfiguring Parasite From Sand Flies Is Endemic In The U.S.
The Leishmania found in Texas and OK causes the mildest form, cutaneous leishmania, affecting only the skin. Will more serious leishmania strains become established, too? (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - October 30, 2023 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Judy Stone, Senior Contributor Tags: Healthcare /healthcare Innovation /innovation standard Source Type: news
CDC says skin-disfiguring parasite may be endemic in Texas, present in other states
A parasite capable of causing a disfiguring skin disease may be endemic in Texas and present in other southern states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2005 to 2019, the CDC identified 1,222 cases in the U.S. that were positive for Leishmania, a parasite…#cdc #leishmania #middleeast #africa #latinamerica #vitalianocama #malaria #marykamb #clinicians #florida (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - October 21, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
A Tropical Skin Infection Spread by Sand Flies Is Spreading in the U.S.
FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 -- Climate change is bringing diseases once considered tropical afflictions to the United States, and new research warns that a parasite spread by sand flies may be the latest to join this growing list.
The Leishmania parasite... (Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews)
Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews - October 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Source Type: news
Africa: WHO Publishes Two Landmark Documents On Leishmaniasis
[WHO] Leishmania parasites are transmitted through the bites of infected female phlebotomine sand flies, which feed on human blood to produce eggs. An estimated 31 species of Phlebotomus and 47 species of Lutzomyia sand fly species are considered the proven vectors of human leishmaniases (visceral and cutaneous). (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - February 6, 2023 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Flesh-Eating Parasites May Be Expanding Their Range As Climate Heats Up
Scientists caution that as the planet warms, more Americans could be exposed to disfiguring varieties of the Leishmania parasite. Overtreatment can be a problem, too, experts warn.(Image credit: Dr. Francis W. Chandler/CDC) (Source: NPR Health and Science)
Source: NPR Health and Science - June 25, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Agostino Petroni Source Type: news
Climate Change Could Fuel the Spread of a Flesh-Eating Parasite Climate Change Could Fuel the Spread of a Flesh-Eating Parasite
Scientists caution that as the planet warms, more Americans could be exposed to varieties of the Leishmania parasite.Undark (Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines)
Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines - June 24, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Infectious Diseases News Source Type: news
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by an Unknown Strain Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by an Unknown Strain
This report describes a case of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by a previously unknown Leishmania parasite. How was this new strain identified?Emerging Infectious Diseases (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - June 24, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Infectious Diseases Journal Article Source Type: news
Parasites may make dogs smell good to insect vector
(PLOS) The protist parasite Leishmania infantum can alter its host's odor to attract female sand flies, which transmit the pathogen, according to a study published March 18th in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Monica Staniek of Lancaster University and Gordon Hamilton of Lancaster University. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - March 18, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Dogs infected with Leishmania parasites smell more attractive to female sand flies
(Lancaster University) Dogs infected with the Leishmania parasite smell more attractive to female sand flies than males, say researchers.Leishmania parasites are transmitted from infected dogs to people by sand flies when they bite. As only female sand flies transmit the parasite, researchers wanted to understand if infection made dogs more attractive to the insect.Globally over 350 million people are at risk of leishmaniasis, with up to 300,000 new cases annually. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - March 18, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
A protein has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for leishmaniasis vaccines
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid) According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), leishmaniasis causes between 20,000 and 30,000 deaths a year, and there is currently no vaccine for humans. A research team led by the Complutense University of Madrid has described the mechanism by which the Leishmania parasite avoids detection: through the SHP-1 protein, which is responsible for basic cellular functions. The finding positions this protein as a potential therapeutic target for the development of vaccines against the disease. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - December 11, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
A study investigating genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to leishmaniasis
(Funda ç ã o de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de S ã o Paulo) The study was conducted in Brazil and mapped the genes that are activated when mice resistant to Leishmania are infected. Molecules involved in the signaling pathway responsible for combating the parasite can serve as biomarkers for the evaluation of prognosis. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - March 24, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Once thought to be asexual, single-celled parasites caught in the act
(Washington University School of Medicine) The single-celled parasite Leishmania can reproduce sexually, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The finding could pave the way towards finding genes that help the parasite cause disease. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 13, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
How does the body respond to diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis?
(PLOS) In diffuse cutaneous leishmanisis (DCL), a rare form of leishmaniasis, parasites grow uncontrolled in skin lesions across the body. For the first time, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have now profiled how the human immune system responds to a DCL infection and, in turn, how Leishmania amazonensis adapts to the human host. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - March 7, 2019 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Viral communications hacking boosts Leishmania infections
(McGill University) New research from McGill University has found that a virus infecting the Leishmania parasite spreads by exploiting a mechanism used for cell-to-cell communication, a discovery that could pave the way to new vaccines against infections that cause severe disfiguration. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - February 7, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news
