In vitro susceptibility to pentavalent antimony in Leishmania infantum strains is not modified during in vitro or in vivo passages but is modified after host treatment with meglumine antimoniate

BACKGROUND: Leishmaniasis is a common parasitic disease in Southern Europe, caused by Leishmania infantum. The failures of current treatment with pentavalent antimonials are partially attributable to the emergence of antimony-resistant Leishmania strains. This study analyses the in vitro susceptibility to pentavalent antimony of intracellular amastigotes from a range of L. infantum strains, derived from the same infected animal, during in vitro and in vivo passages and after host treatment with meglumine antimoniate. RESULTS: Sb(V)-IC50 values for strains from two distinct isolates from the same host and one stock after two years of culture in NNN medium and posterior passage to hamster were similar (5.0 ± 0.2; 4.9 ± 0.2 and 4.4 ± 0.1 mgSb(V)/L, respectively). In contrast, a significant difference (P < 0.01, t test) was observed between the mean Sb(V)-IC50 values in the stocks obtained before and after treatment of hosts with meglumine antimoniate (4.7 ± 0.4 mgSb(V)/L vs. 7.7 ± 1.5 mgSb(V)/L). Drug-resistance after drug pressure in experimentally infected dogs increased over repeated drug administration (6.4 ± 0.5 mgSb(V)/L after first treatment vs. 8.6 ± 1.4 mgSb(V)/L after the second) (P < 0.01, t test). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm previous observations on strains from Leishmania/HIV co-infected patients and indicate the effect of the increasing use of antimony derivatives for treatment of canine leishmaniasis in endemic areas on the emergence of Leishmania antimony-resistant strains

Value of culture and nested polymerase chain raction of blood in the prediction of relapses in patients co-infected with Leishmania and human immunodeficiency virus

The use of culture and a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of blood in predicting the probability of relapse was evaluated in 20 patients co-infected with Leishmania and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fourteen of 20 patients relapsed, with 24 clinical relapses diagnosed. During clinical relapse, the parasite was detected by culture in 21 of 24 blood samples and by nested PCR in 23 of 24 blood samples. After treatment and during asymptomatic periods, the parasite was detected by culture in 18 (19.1%) of 94 blood samples and by nested PCR in 58 (61.7%) of 94 blood samples. For positive blood cultures, the Kaplan-Meier probability estimates for relapse at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months were 44%, 68%, 76%, and 76%, respectively, while for positive nested PCRs, the estimates were 20%, 33%, 45%, and 50%, respectively. For negative blood cultures, relapse probabilities for the same time points were 7%, 12%, 12%, and 12%, while for negative nested PCRs, these probabilities were 8%, 14%, 21%, and 26%. Nested PCR-positive results in asymptomatic periods indicated presence of the parasite, but not necessarily relapse. However, the presence of viable parasites during post-treatment follow-up increased the probability of relapse and showed that culture positivity could be a good relapse marker

A phylogenetic road map to antimalarial Artemisia species

Ethnopharmacological relevance The discovery of the antimalarial agent artemisinin is considered one of the most significant success stories of ethnopharmacological research in recent times. The isolation of artemisinin was inspired by the use of Artemisia annua in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2015. Antimalarial activity has since been demonstrated for a range of other Artemisia species, suggesting that the genus could provide alternative sources of antimalarial treatments. Given the stunning diversity of the genus (c. 500 species), a prioritisation of taxa to be investigated for their likely antimalarial properties is required. Materials and methods Here we use a phylogenetic approach to explore the potential for identifying species more likely to possess antimalarial properties. Ethnobotanical data from literature reports is recorded for 117 species. Subsequent phylogenetically informed analysis was used to identify lineages in which there is an overrepresentation of species used to treat malarial symptoms, and which could therefore be high priority for further investigation of antimalarial activity. Results We show that these lineages indeed include several species with documented antimalarial activity. To further inform our approach, we use LC-MS/MS analysis to explore artemisinin content in fifteen species from both highlighted and not highlighted lineages. We detected artemisinin in nine species, in eight of them for the first time, doubling the number of Artemisia taxa known to content this molecule. Conclusions Our findings indicate that artemisinin may be widespread across the genus, providing an accessible local resource outside the distribution area of Artemisia annua

Recomanacions per a l’alimentació en la primera infància (de 0 a 3 anys) [manual]

Hàbits alimentaris; Infància; Nous alimentsHábitos alimenticios; Infancia; Nuevos alimentosFeeding Habits; Childhood; New foodsAquesta guia, fruit del treball i consens de diferents professionals de la pediatria, la docència i la nutrició hauria de ser un instrument útil d’informació i d’assessorament tant per als professionals dels centres d’atenció primària que ofereixen consell alimentari com per a les famílies i les persones responsables d’escoles bressol, amb l’objectiu de millorar la qualitat de l’alimentació dels infants i el seu desenvolupament

In vitro susceptibility to pentavalent antimony in Leishmania infantum strains is not modified during in vitro or in vivo passages but is modified after host treatment with meglumine antimoniate

Background: Leishmaniasis is a common parasitic disease in Southern Europe, caused by Leishmania infantum. The failures of current treatment with pentavalent antimonials are partially attributable to the emergence of antimony-resistant Leishmania strains. This study analyses the in vitro susceptibility to pentavalent antimony of intracellular amastigotes from a range of L. infantum strains, derived from the same infected animal, during in vitro and in vivo passages and after host treatment with meglumine antimoniate. Results: SbV-IC50 values for strains from two distinct isolates from the same host and one stock after two years of culture in NNN medium and posterior passage to hamster were similar (5.0 ± 0.2; 4.9 ± 0.2 and 4.4 ± 0.1 mgSbV/L, respectively). In contrast, a significant difference (P < 0.01, t test) was observed between the mean SbV-IC50 values in the stocks obtained before and after treatment of hosts with meglumine antimoniate (4.7 ± 0.4 mgSbV/L vs. 7.7 ± 1.5 mgSbV/L). Drug-resistance after drug pressure in experimentally infected dogs increased over repeated drug administration (6.4 ± 0.5 mgSbV/L after first treatment vs. 8.6 ± 1.4 mgSbV/L after the second) (P < 0.01, t test). Conclusions: These results confirm previous observations on strains from Leishmania/HIV co-infected patients and indicate the effect of the increasing use of antimony derivatives for treatment of canine leishmaniasis in endemic areas on the emergence of Leishmania antimony-resistant strains

A phylogenetic road map to antimalarial Artemisia species

[Ethnopharmacological relevance] The discovery of the antimalarial agent artemisinin is considered one of the most significant success stories of ethnopharmacological research in recent times. The isolation of artemisinin was inspired by the use of Artemisia annua in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2015. Antimalarial activity has since been demonstrated for a range of other Artemisia species, suggesting that the genus could provide alternative sources of antimalarial treatments. Given the stunning diversity of the genus (c. 500 species), a prioritisation of taxa to be investigated for their likely antimalarial properties is required.[Materials and methods] Here we use a phylogenetic approach to explore the potential for identifying species more likely to possess antimalarial properties. Ethnobotanical data from literature reports is recorded for 117 species. Subsequent phylogenetically informed analysis was used to identify lineages in which there is an overrepresentation of species used to treat malarial symptoms, and which could therefore be high priority for further investigation of antimalarial activity.[Results] We show that these lineages indeed include several species with documented antimalarial activity. To further inform our approach, we use LC-MS/MS analysis to explore artemisinin content in fifteen species from both highlighted and not highlighted lineages. We detected artemisinin in nine species, in eight of them for the first time, doubling the number of Artemisia taxa known to content this molecule.[Conclusions] Our findings indicate that artemisinin may be widespread across the genus, providing an accessible local resource outside the distribution area of Artemisia annua.This study was supported by the Marie Curie Actions of the 7th European Community Framework Programme: FP7/2007–2013, REA grant agreement no PIEF-GA-2012-328637-BiodiversityAltitude to C.H.S.L. and N.R. and 606895-MedPlant to N.R., as well as by the Agustí Pedro i Pons award 2012, Universitat de Barcelona, to E.C., and project 2014SGR514 of the Catalan government, project CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P of the Spanish government, and project 1-8/HEC/HRD/2013/2794 of the Pakistan government.Peer reviewe