CD1a + and CD11c + cell expression in patients' skin lesions with non-ulcerated or atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum

• Grant number: 16/23789-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Marcia Dalastra Laurenti
• Grantee: Marina Lima de Meira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50315-0 - Leishmaniasis in Latin America: an advanced perspective on immunopathogenetic factors of cutaneous and visceral infection, immunomodulators of the sandflies vector saliva and immunogenic exo-antigens of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi as vaccine candidates, AP.TEM

Abstract

In the Americas, infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum causes subclinical manifestations and visceral leishmaniasis (LV), which when untreated is potentially fatal. Visceral leishmaniasis is a widespread and chronic disease, presenting symptoms such as: recurrent low fever, splenomegaly, which is usually on a larger scale than hepatomegaly; in most cases, micropoliadenia, besides a series of events that begin as the organs are affected, triggering changes of physiological and histopathological order, which worsen with the course of the disease. In general, the main organs affected by visceral leishmaniasis are: spleen, liver and bone marrow. In Central America, the disease manifests in two clinical forms, non-ulcerated or atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Cases of NUCL have been reported in Honduras, such as Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua. From the clinical point of view, the NUCL is the most benign form, however, for public health it is the greater importance, since the people who present this clinical form, can be considered as an important source of paratie to the vector; In addition, there is a risk of evolution from non-ulcerated or atypical to visceral form in children under five years of age with nutritional problems. In 2010, the Honduran Ministry of Health reported 525 cases of LCNU in the country, and only in the first half of 2011, 641 cases were reported, which shows an increase in the incidence of this clinical form. An interesting fact to observe is that for each case of LV an average of 80 cases of LCNU is reported. The Program for the Prevention and Control of Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis of Honduras reported 24 cases of LCNU to the Department of Valle, which belongs to the Municipality of Amapala, during 2010, and for the same period of 2011, 100 cases were reported, approximately a little more than 400% of new cases compared to the previous year. Little is known about the profile of human infection by L. (L.) infantum in Central America, especially on the non-ulcerated or atypical cutaneous form, thus, in order to better understand the pathogenesis of the infection caused by this species of parasite, this project aims to characterize the histopathological changes and the determine the number of CD1a + and CD11c + dendritic cells in skin lesions of the NUCL patients in the municipality of Amapala, located in Department Valle, Honduras. (AU)