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Khatami A, Yazdanparast T, Ahmad Nasrollahi S, Miramin Mohammadi A, Yadangi S, Khamesipour A, Kassir M, Firooz A. Biophysical and ultrasonographic changes of acute Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis skin lesions in comparison with uninvolved skin: A possible tool for non-invasive early detection and treatment outcome assessment. Dermatol Ther 2022; 35:e15699. [PMID: 35808917 DOI: 10.1111/dth.15699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a skin disease caused by intracellular protozoa, which is endemic in Iran. The goal of this study was to compare biophysical characteristics in CL lesions with uninvolved skin. METHODS Stratum corneum hydration, transepidermal water loss, surface friction, pH, sebum, melanin, erythema, temperature, elasticity parameters (R0, R2, and R5), thickness and echo-density of epidermis and dermis were measured on the active erythematous indurated part of a typical CL lesion in 20 patients, and compared with the same location on the other side of the body as control. Paired t- test was used for statistical analyses and a P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Melanin content, R2 and echo-density of dermis were significantly lower, whereas transepidermal water loss, friction index, pH, erythema index, temperature and the thickness of dermis were significantly higher in CL lesions. There was no significant difference in stratum corneum hydration, sebum, R0, R5, thickness of epidermis and density of epidermis between CL and normal skin. CONCLUSIONS CL lesions are characterized by certain changes in biophysical and ultrasonographic properties, which are mostly correlated with histological features. These changes are likely to be useful in the non-invasive early detection of CL and also as treatment outcome measures for clinical trials of new treatment modalities for CL in the future. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Khatami
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Information Technology Management, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Taraneh Yazdanparast
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saman Ahmad Nasrollahi
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Akram Miramin Mohammadi
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Yadangi
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Khamesipour
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Alireza Firooz
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Clinical Trial Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Sridharan K, Sivaramakrishnan G. Comparative assessment of interventions for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis: A network meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Acta Trop 2021; 220:105944. [PMID: 33957088 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Various interventions including laser therapy, heat therapy, and several drugs have been trialed in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis. Due to the lack of an evidence-based comparison of all these interventions, we carried out the present network meta-analysis. METHODS Electronic databases were searched for randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of any interventions in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis. The proportion of patients with complete cure was the primary outcome. The proportion of lesions cured at the end of treatment, the proportion of lesions with minimal/no response to treatment, and proportion of wounds with minimal/no change were the secondary outcomes. Random-effects modeling was used for generating pooled estimates. Rankogram plot was used for identifying the 'best intervention'. For interventions containing a combination of treatments, backslash (/) has been used for depicting the same. RESULTS One-hundred and thirty-one studies were included. Intralesional meglumine, topical paromomycin/gentamicin, topical paromomycin, parenteral sodium stibogluconate, topical honey/intralesional meglumine, topical liposomal amphotericin B, oral zinc sulphate, oral miltefosine, parenteral meglumine, heat therapy, topical liposomal azithromycin, intralesional meglumine/silver dressing, intralesional sodium stibogluconate, parenteral meglumine/intralesional meglumine, oral allopurinol/parenteral meglumine, topical trichloroacetic acid/heat therapy, oral zinc sulphate/oral ketoconazole, topical imiquimod/cryotherapy, intralesional meglumine/cryotherapy, topical herbal extract of Z-HE, parenteral pentamidine, topical trichloroacetic acid/intralesional meglumine, carbon-dioxide laser, topical recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor/parenteral meglumine, intralesional dapsone, carbon-dioxide laser/intralesional meglumine, moist wet dressing with sodium hypochlorite, parenteral sodium stibogluconate/intralesional recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, oral dapsone, intralesional sodium stibogluconate/oral ketoconazole, intralesional sodium stibogluconate/parenteral sodium stibogluconate and electrocautery/moist wet dressing with sodium hypochlorite were observed with significantly greater proportion of patients with complete cure compared to placebo/untreated controls. Rankogram analysis revealed that parenteral pentamidine has the highest statistical probability of being the best in the pool. CONCLUSION We observed several interventions to be effective for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, greater caution is required in interpreting the results as the estimates are likely to change with the advent of results from future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kannan Sridharan
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
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Husein‐ElAhmed H, Gieler U, Steinhoff M. Evidence supporting the enhanced efficacy of pentavalent antimonials with adjuvant therapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020; 34:2216-2228. [DOI: 10.1111/jdv.16333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H. Husein‐ElAhmed
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology Hospital de Baza Granada Spain
- Translational Research Institute Academic Health System Medical School Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar
| | - U. Gieler
- Translational Research Institute Academic Health System Medical School Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar
| | - M. Steinhoff
- Translational Research Institute Academic Health System Medical School Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar
- College of Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine‐Qatar Doha Qatar
- Medical School Qatar University Doha Qatar
- College of Medicine Weill Cornell University New York NY USA
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Sepaskhah M, Behdad K, Bagheri Z. The topical treatment of old world cutaneous leishmaniasis with gentian violet along with cryotherapy: a pilot single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2019; 52:e20180278. [DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0278-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Berbert TRN, de Mello TFP, Wolf Nassif P, Mota CA, Silveira AV, Duarte GC, Demarchi IG, Aristides SMA, Lonardoni MVC, Vieira Teixeira JJ, Silveira TGV. Pentavalent Antimonials Combined with Other Therapeutic Alternatives for the Treatment of Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Systematic Review. Dermatol Res Pract 2018; 2018:9014726. [PMID: 30675152 PMCID: PMC6323433 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9014726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The first choice drugs for the treatment of cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis are pentavalent antimonials, sodium stibogluconate, or meglumine antimoniate. However, the treatment with these drugs is expensive, can cause serious adverse effects, and is not always effective. The combination of two drugs by different routes or the combination of an alternative therapy with systemic therapy can increase the efficacy and decrease the collateral effects caused by the reference drugs. In this systematic review we investigated publications that described a combination of nonconventional treatment for cutaneous and mucocutaneous with pentavalent antimonials. A literature review was performed in the databases Web of Knowledge and PubMed in the period from 01st of December 2004 to 01st of June 2017, according to Prisma statement. Only clinical trials involving the treatment for cutaneous or mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, in English, and with available abstract were added. Other types of publications, such as reviews, case reports, comments to the editor, letters, interviews, guidelines, and errata, were excluded. Sixteen articles were selected and the pentavalent antimonials were administered in combination with pentoxifylline, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, imiquimod, intralesional sodium stibogluconate, ketoconazole, silver-containing polyester dressing, lyophilized LEISH-F1 protein, cryotherapy, topical honey, and omeprazole. In general, the combined therapy resulted in high rates of clinical cure and when relapse or recurrence was reported, it was higher in the groups treated with pentavalent antimonials alone. The majority of the articles included in this review showed that cure rate ranged from 70 to 100% in patients treated with the combinations. Serious adverse effects were not observed in patients treated with drugs combination. The combination of other drugs or treatment modalities with pentavalent antimonials has proved to be effective for cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis and for most seemed to be safe. However, new randomized, controlled, and multicentric clinical trials with more robust samples should be performed, especially the combination with immunomodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taisa Rocha Navasconi Berbert
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Tatiane França Perles de Mello
- Graduate Program in Bioscience and Physiopathology, State University Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Priscila Wolf Nassif
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Camila Alves Mota
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Aline Verzignassi Silveira
- Medical Residency, Santa Casa de São Paulo, R. Dr. Cesário Mota Júnior, 112 Vila Buarque, 01221-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Giovana Chiqueto Duarte
- Undergraduation Course in Medicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Izabel Galhardo Demarchi
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Sandra Mara Alessi Aristides
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Valdrinez Campana Lonardoni
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Jorge Juarez Vieira Teixeira
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Thaís Gomes Verziganassi Silveira
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790 Jardim Universitário, 87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
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Khatami A, Emmelin M, Talaee R, Miramin-Mohammadi A, Aghazadeh N, Firooz A, Stenberg B. Lived Experiences of Patients Suffering from Acute Old World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study from Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis 2018; 12:180-195. [PMID: 30123812 PMCID: PMC6091796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients who suffer from acute cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran, focusing on quality of life. METHODS The study was conducted at two different sites in Iran in 2010-2011. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with six men and six women parasitologically confirmed acute cutaneous leishmaniasis. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS The participants, aged 23 to 63yr, had mild to severe disease. Based on the analysis four main themes were developed. "Fearing an agonizing disease" reflects patients' experiences of disease development resulting in sadness and depression, "struggling to cope" and "taking on the blame" both illustrate how patients experience living with the disease, which included both felt and enacted stigma as major social concerns. "Longing for being seen and heard" refers to patients' experiences with healthcare as well as their expectations and demands from communities and healthcare to be involved in closing the knowledge and awareness gap. CONCLUSION Mental and social dimensions of cutaneous leishmaniasis were complex and adversely affected patients' lives by causing psychological burden and limiting their social interactions. Health authorities have to plan programs to increase the disease awareness to prevent the existing stigma to improve patients' social condition and medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Khatami
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Corresponding author: Dr Alireza Khatami, E-mail:
| | - Maria Emmelin
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Rezvan Talaee
- Department of Dermatology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Akram Miramin-Mohammadi
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nessa Aghazadeh
- Department of Dermatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Firooz
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Berndt Stenberg
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Dermatology and Venereology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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López-Carvajal L, Vélez I, Arbeláez MP, Olliaro P. Eligibility criteria and outcome measures adopted in clinical trials of treatments of cutaneous leishmaniasis: systematic literature review covering the period 1991-2015. Trop Med Int Health 2018. [PMID: 29524291 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To document the sources of heterogeneity in outcomes and shortcomings in trial designs reported by previous systematic reviews. METHODS Systematic review of clinical trials of CL treatments published since 1991, to assess and compare eligibility criteria and outcome measures in trials (any type of treatment) of CL (any form) reported before and after the publication of the CONSORT statement. RESULTS We identified 106 eligible trials published between 1991 and 2015, 74% after the 2001 CONSORT statement; 58% (n = 63) were on Old-World CL and 37% (n = 40) in New-World CL; overall, 11 531 patients enrolled in 243 treatment groups on 30 different treatments. Both requirements and definitions for eligibility and outcome criteria varied. Compliance with CONSORT requirements increased for studies published after the 2010 update. As for entry criteria, 94% of studies had a requirement for sex (74% of those enrolling also women excluded those who were pregnant or lactating), 69% for age (variable age ranges), 99% parasitological confirmation, 43% prior duration of illness (14% excluded cases with previous episodes), 46% defined the number, 28% the size and 13% the type of lesions (27% with restrictions as to their anatomical location). Follow-up ranged 1-24 months, with 14% and 91% of studies, respectively, having defined initial and final cure. CONCLUSIONS This review documents changes in reporting before and after the publication of the CONSORT statement. Lack of standardisation, compounded with the small number of trials relative to the magnitude of the disease in its multiple forms, and with the range of treatments tested explains why evidence to inform treatment guidelines is generally weak for CL. Adopting standardised methodologies will improve the quality and consistency of clinical trials, and ultimately yield better treatments for CL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana López-Carvajal
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Iván Vélez
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | | | - Piero Olliaro
- UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Geneva, Switzerland.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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da Silva RE, Carvalho JDP, Ramalho DB, Senna MCRD, Moreira HSA, Rabello A, Cota E, Cota G. Towards a standard protocol for antimony intralesional infiltration technique for cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2018; 113:71-79. [PMID: 29236929 PMCID: PMC5722261 DOI: 10.1590/0074-027601700125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite its recognised toxicity, antimonial therapy continues to be the first-line drug for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) treatment. Intralesional administration of meglumine antimoniate (MA) represents an alternative that could reduce the systemic absorption of the drug and its side effects. OBJECTIVES This study aims to validate the standard operational procedure (SOP) for the intralesional infiltration of MA for CL therapy as the first step before the assessment of efficacy and safety related to the procedure. METHODS The SOP was created based on 21 trials retrieved from the literature, direct monitoring of the procedure and consultation with experts. This script was submitted to a formal computer-aided inspection to identify readability, clarity, omission, redundancy and unnecessary information (content validation). For criterion and construct validations, the influence of critical condition changes (compliance with the instructions and professional experience) on outcome conformity (saturation status achievement), tolerability (pain referred) and safety (bleeding) were assessed. FINDINGS The median procedure length was 12 minutes and in 72% of them, patients classified the pain as mild. The bleeding was also classified as mild in 96.6% of the procedures. Full compliance with the SOP was observed in 66% of infiltrations. Despite this, in 100% of the inspected procedures, lesion saturation was observed at the end of infiltration, which means that it tolerates some degree of modification in its execution (robustness) without prejudice to the result. CONCLUSIONS The procedure is reproducible and can be used by professionals without previous training with high success and safety rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosiana Estéfane da Silva
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Janaína de Pina Carvalho
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Dario Brock Ramalho
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Maria Camilo Ribeiro De Senna
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Hugo Silva Assis Moreira
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Ana Rabello
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Erika Cota
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de
Informática, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Gláucia Cota
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou,
Centro de Referência em Leishmanioses, Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em
Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
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Heras‐Mosteiro J, Monge‐Maillo B, Pinart M, Lopez Pereira P, Reveiz L, Garcia‐Carrasco E, Campuzano Cuadrado P, Royuela A, Mendez Roman I, López‐Vélez R. Interventions for Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 12:CD005067. [PMID: 29192424 PMCID: PMC6485999 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd005067.pub5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by a parasitic infection, is considered one of the most serious skin diseases in many low- and middle-income countries. Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (OWCL) is caused by species found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and India. The most commonly prescribed treatments are antimonials, but other drugs have been used with varying success. As OWCL tends to heal spontaneously, it is necessary to justify the use of systemic and topical treatments. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2008. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of therapeutic interventions for the localised form of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis. SEARCH METHODS We updated our searches of the following databases to November 2016: the Cochrane Skin Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and LILACS. We also searched five trials registers and checked the reference lists of included studies for further references to relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We wrote to national programme managers, general co-ordinators, directors, clinicians, WHO-EMRO regional officers of endemic countries, pharmaceutical companies, tropical medicine centres, and authors of relevant papers for further information about relevant unpublished and ongoing trials. We undertook a separate search for adverse effects of interventions for Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis in September 2015 using MEDLINE. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials of either single or combination treatments in immunocompetent people with OWCL confirmed by smear, histology, culture, or polymerase chain reaction. The comparators were either no treatment, placebo/vehicle, and/or another active compound. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias and extracted data. We only synthesised data when we were able to identify at least two studies investigating similar treatments and reporting data amenable to pooling. We also recorded data about adverse effects from the corresponding search. MAIN RESULTS We included 89 studies (of which 40 were new to this update) in 10,583 people with OWCL. The studies included were conducted mainly in the Far or Middle East at regional hospitals, local healthcare clinics, and skin disease research centres. Women accounted for 41.5% of the participants (range: 23% to 80%). The overall mean age of participants was 25 years (range 12 to 56). Most studies lasted between two to six months, with the longest lasting two years; average duration was four months. Most studies were at unclear or high risk for most bias domains. A lack of blinding and reporting bias were present in almost 40% of studies. Two trials were at low risk of bias for all domains. Trials reported the causative species poorly.Here we provide results for the two main comparisons identified: itraconazole (200 mg for six to eight weeks) versus placebo; and paromomycin ointment (15% plus 10% urea, twice daily for 14 days) versus vehicle.In the comparison of oral itraconazole versus placebo, at 2.5 months' follow up, 85/125 participants in the itraconazole group achieved complete cure compared to 54/119 in the placebo group (RR 3.70, 95% CI 0.35 to 38.99; 3 studies; 244 participants). In one study, microbiological or histopathological cure of skin lesions only occurred in the itraconazole group after a mean follow-up of 2.5 months (RR 17.00, 95% CI 0.47 to 612.21; 20 participants). However, although the analyses favour oral itraconazole for these outcomes, we cannot be confident in the results due to the very low certainty evidence. More side effects of mild abdominal pain and nausea (RR 2.36, 95% CI 0.74 to 7.47; 3 studies; 204 participants) and mild abnormal liver function (RR 3.08, 95% CI 0.53 to 17.98; 3 studies; 84 participants) occurred in the itraconazole group (as well as reports of headaches and dizziness), compared with the placebo group, but again we rated the certainty of evidence as very low so are unsure of the results.When comparing paromomycin with vehicle, there was no difference in the number of participants who achieved complete cure (RR of 1.00, 95% CI 0.86, 1.17; 383 participants, 2 studies) and microbiological or histopathological cure of skin lesions after a mean follow-up of 2.5 months (RR 1.03, CI 0.88 to 1.20; 383 participants, 2 studies), but the paromomycin group had more skin/local reactions (such as inflammation, vesiculation, pain, redness, or itch) (RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.67 to 3.01; 4 studies; 713 participants). For all of these outcomes, the certainty of evidence was very low, meaning we are unsure about these results.Trial authors did not report the percentage of lesions cured after the end of treatment or speed of healing for either of these key comparisons. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There was very low-certainty evidence to support the effectiveness of itraconazole and paromomycin ointment for OWCL in terms of cure (i.e. microbiological or histopathological cure and percentage of participants completely cured). Both of these interventions incited more adverse effects, which were mild in nature, than their comparisons, but we could draw no conclusions regarding safety due to the very low certainty of the evidence for this outcome.We downgraded the key outcomes in these two comparisons due to high risk of bias, inconsistency between the results, and imprecision. There is a need for large, well-designed international studies that evaluate long-term effects of current therapies and enable a reliable conclusion about treatments. Future trials should specify the species of leishmaniasis; trials on types caused by Leishmania infantum, L aethiopica, andL donovani are lacking. Research into the effects of treating women of childbearing age, children, people with comorbid conditions, and those who are immunocompromised would also be helpful.It was difficult to evaluate the overall efficacy of any of the numerous treatments due to the variable treatment regimens examined and because RCTs evaluated different Leishmania species and took place in different geographical areas. Some outcomes we looked for but did not find were degree of functional and aesthetic impairment, change in ability to detect Leishmania, quality of life, and emergence of resistance. There were only limited data on prevention of scarring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Heras‐Mosteiro
- Rey Juan Carlos UniversityDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health & Immunology and MicrobiologyAvda. Atenas s/nAlcorcónMadridSpain28922
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthMadridSpain
| | - Begoña Monge‐Maillo
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalTropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases DepartmentCarretera de Colmenar Viejo km. 9,100MadridSpain28034
| | - Mariona Pinart
- c/o Cochrane Skin Group, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UKNottinghamUK
| | - Patricia Lopez Pereira
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthMadridSpain
| | | | - Emely Garcia‐Carrasco
- National Referral Centre for Tropical DiseasesInfectious Diseases DepartmentCtra Colmenar, Km 9,100.MadridSpain28034
| | - Pedro Campuzano Cuadrado
- Rey Juan Carlos UniversityDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health & Immunology and MicrobiologyAvda. Atenas s/nAlcorcónMadridSpain28922
| | - Ana Royuela
- Biomedical Sciences Research Institute,Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro‐MajadahondaDepartment of BiostatisticsMajadahondaSpain28222
| | - Irene Mendez Roman
- The University of Nottinghamc/o Cochrane Skin GroupA103, King's Meadow CampusLenton LaneNottinghamSpainNG7 2NR
| | - Rogelio López‐Vélez
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalTropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases DepartmentCarretera de Colmenar Viejo km. 9,100MadridSpain28034
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Heras‐Mosteiro J, Monge‐Maillo B, Pinart M, Lopez Pereira P, Garcia‐Carrasco E, Campuzano Cuadrado P, Royuela A, Mendez Roman I, López‐Vélez R. Interventions for Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 11:CD005067. [PMID: 29149474 PMCID: PMC6486265 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd005067.pub4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by a parasitic infection, is considered one of the most serious skin diseases in many low- and middle-income countries. Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (OWCL) is caused by species found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and India. The most commonly prescribed treatments are antimonials, but other drugs have been used with varying success. As OWCL tends to heal spontaneously, it is necessary to justify the use of systemic and topical treatments. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2008. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of therapeutic interventions for the localised form of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis. SEARCH METHODS We updated our searches of the following databases to November 2016: the Cochrane Skin Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and LILACS. We also searched five trials registers and checked the reference lists of included studies for further references to relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We wrote to national programme managers, general co-ordinators, directors, clinicians, WHO-EMRO regional officers of endemic countries, pharmaceutical companies, tropical medicine centres, and authors of relevant papers for further information about relevant unpublished and ongoing trials. We undertook a separate search for adverse effects of interventions for Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis in September 2015 using MEDLINE. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials of either single or combination treatments in immunocompetent people with OWCL confirmed by smear, histology, culture, or polymerase chain reaction. The comparators were either no treatment, placebo/vehicle, and/or another active compound. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias and extracted data. We only synthesised data when we were able to identify at least two studies investigating similar treatments and reporting data amenable to pooling. We also recorded data about adverse effects from the corresponding search. MAIN RESULTS We included 89 studies (of which 40 were new to this update) in 10,583 people with OWCL. The studies included were conducted mainly in the Far or Middle East at regional hospitals, local healthcare clinics, and skin disease research centres. Women accounted for 41.5% of the participants (range: 23% to 80%). The overall mean age of participants was 25 years (range 12 to 56). Most studies lasted between two to six months, with the longest lasting two years; average duration was four months. Most studies were at unclear or high risk for most bias domains. A lack of blinding and reporting bias were present in almost 40% of studies. Two trials were at low risk of bias for all domains. Trials reported the causative species poorly.Here we provide results for the two main comparisons identified: itraconazole (200 mg for six to eight weeks) versus placebo; and paromomycin ointment (15% plus 10% urea, twice daily for 14 days) versus vehicle.In the comparison of oral itraconazole versus placebo, at 2.5 months' follow up, 85/125 participants in the itraconazole group achieved complete cure compared to 54/119 in the placebo group (RR 3.70, 95% CI 0.35 to 38.99; 3 studies; 244 participants). In one study, microbiological or histopathological cure of skin lesions only occurred in the itraconazole group after a mean follow-up of 2.5 months (RR 17.00, 95% CI 0.47 to 612.21; 20 participants). However, although the analyses favour oral itraconazole for these outcomes, we cannot be confident in the results due to the very low certainty evidence. More side effects of mild abdominal pain and nausea (RR 2.36, 95% CI 0.74 to 7.47; 3 studies; 204 participants) and mild abnormal liver function (RR 3.08, 95% CI 0.53 to 17.98; 3 studies; 84 participants) occurred in the itraconazole group (as well as reports of headaches and dizziness), compared with the placebo group, but again we rated the certainty of evidence as very low so are unsure of the results.When comparing paromomycin with vehicle, there was no difference in the number of participants who achieved complete cure (RR of 1.00, 95% CI 0.86, 1.17; 383 participants, 2 studies) and microbiological or histopathological cure of skin lesions after a mean follow-up of 2.5 months (RR 1.03, CI 0.88 to 1.20; 383 participants, 2 studies), but the paromomycin group had more skin/local reactions (such as inflammation, vesiculation, pain, redness, or itch) (RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.67 to 3.01; 4 studies; 713 participants). For all of these outcomes, the certainty of evidence was very low, meaning we are unsure about these results.Trial authors did not report the percentage of lesions cured after the end of treatment or speed of healing for either of these key comparisons. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There was very low-certainty evidence to support the effectiveness of itraconazole and paromomycin ointment for OWCL in terms of cure (i.e. microbiological or histopathological cure and percentage of participants completely cured). Both of these interventions incited more adverse effects, which were mild in nature, than their comparisons, but we could draw no conclusions regarding safety due to the very low certainty of the evidence for this outcome.We downgraded the key outcomes in these two comparisons due to high risk of bias, inconsistency between the results, and imprecision. There is a need for large, well-designed international studies that evaluate long-term effects of current therapies and enable a reliable conclusion about treatments. Future trials should specify the species of leishmaniasis; trials on types caused by Leishmania infantum, L aethiopica, andL donovani are lacking. Research into the effects of treating women of childbearing age, children, people with comorbid conditions, and those who are immunocompromised would also be helpful.It was difficult to evaluate the overall efficacy of any of the numerous treatments due to the variable treatment regimens examined and because RCTs evaluated different Leishmania species and took place in different geographical areas. Some outcomes we looked for but did not find were degree of functional and aesthetic impairment, change in ability to detect Leishmania, quality of life, and emergence of resistance. There were only limited data on prevention of scarring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Begoña Monge‐Maillo
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalTropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases DepartmentCarretera de Colmenar Viejo km. 9,100MadridSpain28034
| | - Mariona Pinart
- c/o Cochrane Skin Group, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UKNottinghamUK
| | - Patricia Lopez Pereira
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthMadridSpain
| | - Emely Garcia‐Carrasco
- National Referral Centre for Tropical DiseasesInfectious Diseases DepartmentCtra Colmenar, Km 9,100.MadridSpain28034
| | - Pedro Campuzano Cuadrado
- Rey Juan Carlos UniversityDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health & Immunology and MicrobiologyAvda. Atenas s/nAlcorcónMadridSpain28922
| | - Ana Royuela
- Biomedical Sciences Research Institute,Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro‐MajadahondaDepartment of BiostatisticsMajadahondaSpain28222
| | - Irene Mendez Roman
- The University of Nottinghamc/o Cochrane Skin GroupA103, King's Meadow CampusLenton LaneNottinghamSpainNG7 2NR
| | - Rogelio López‐Vélez
- Ramón y Cajal University HospitalTropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases DepartmentCarretera de Colmenar Viejo km. 9,100MadridSpain28034
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Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Successfully Treated by Liposomal Amphotericin B. INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE 2016. [DOI: 10.1097/ipc.0000000000000447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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13
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Gontijo VS, Espuri PF, Alves RB, de Camargos LF, Santos FVD, de Souza Judice WA, Marques MJ, Freitas RP. Leishmanicidal, antiproteolytic, and mutagenic evaluation of alkyltriazoles and alkylphosphocholines. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 101:24-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Yesilova Y, Surucu HA, Ardic N, Aksoy M, Yesilova A, Oghumu S, Satoskar AR. Meglumine antimoniate is more effective than sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. J DERMATOL TREAT 2015; 27:83-7. [PMID: 26105204 DOI: 10.3109/09546634.2015.1054778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Sodium stibogluconate (SSG, Pentostam) and meglumine antimoniate (MA, Glucantime) are two antimonials that are widely used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), but the relative efficacies of these treatments are not clear. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of intralesional SSG with intralesional MA therapy in the treatment of CL. One month after completion of the therapy, 1431 of 1728 patients (82%) who received intralesional MA showed complete clinical cure compared to 1157 of 1728 patients (67%) in the SSG group. Patients who did not respond to the first round of therapy were re-administered the same treatment but with twice weekly injections. Following completion of the second course of therapy, 237 of 297 patients (80%) in the MA group and 407 of 561 patients (72%) in the SSG group healed their lesions by 1-month post-treatment. At both times, the differences in cure rates between MA and SSG groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Cure rates in the MA group were always significantly higher than SSG groups irrespective of other parameters including age, gender, lesion site and type of lesion. Intralesional MA is more effective than intralesional SSG in the treatment of CL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yavuz Yesilova
- a Dermatology Clinic, Special Lokman Physician Van Hospital , Van , Turkey
| | - Hacer Altın Surucu
- b Department of Dermatology , Harran University School of Medicine , Şanlıurfa , Turkey
| | - Nurittin Ardic
- c Division of Basic Immunology, Department of Medical Microbiology , Gulhane Military Medical Academy , Ankara , Turkey
| | - Mustafa Aksoy
- b Department of Dermatology , Harran University School of Medicine , Şanlıurfa , Turkey
| | - Abdullah Yesilova
- d Department of Biostatistics , School of Medicine, YuzuncuYıl University , Van , Turkey , and
| | - Steve Oghumu
- e Department of Microbiology , The Ohio State University Medical Center , Columbus , OH , USA
| | - Abhay R Satoskar
- e Department of Microbiology , The Ohio State University Medical Center , Columbus , OH , USA
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Monzote L, Piñón A, Scull R, Setzer WN. Chemistry and Leishmanicidal Activity of the Essential Oil from Artemisia absinthium from Cuba. Nat Prod Commun 2014. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x1400901236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, natural products have been a rich source of lead molecules in drug discovery. In particular, products to treat infectious diseases have been developed and several reports about potentialities of essential oils (EO) against Leishmania could be found. In this study, we report the chemical characterization, anti-leishmanial effects and cytotoxicity of the EO from Artemisia absinthium L. Chemical analysis revealed the EO to be composed of 18 compounds, 11 of which were identified, accounting for 64.1% of the composition. The main component of the EO was trans-sabinyl acetate, which made up 36.7%. In vitro anti-leishmanial screening showed that the A. absinthium EO inhibited the growth of promastigotes (14.4 ± 3.6 μg/mL) and amastigotes (13.4 ± 2.4 μg/mL) of L. amazonensis; while cytotoxicity evaluation caused 6 fold higher values than those for the parasites. In a model of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice, five doses of EO at 30 mg/kg by intralesional route demonstrated control of lesion size and parasite burden ( p< 0.05) compared with animals treated with glucantime and untreated mice. In conclusion, in vitro and in vivo results showed the potential of EO from A. absinthium as a promising source for lead or active compounds against Leishmania, which could be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianet Monzote
- Parasitology Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kouri, Havana, Cuba
| | - Abel Piñón
- Parasitology Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kouri, Havana, Cuba
| | - Ramón Scull
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food, Havana University, Cuba
| | - William N. Setzer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama 35899, USA
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Jebran AF, Schleicher U, Steiner R, Wentker P, Mahfuz F, Stahl HC, Amin FM, Bogdan C, Stahl KW. Rapid healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis by high-frequency electrocauterization and hydrogel wound care with or without DAC N-055: a randomized controlled phase IIa trial in Kabul. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e2694. [PMID: 24551257 PMCID: PMC3923720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) due to Leishmania (L.) tropica infection is a chronic, frequently disfiguring skin disease with limited therapeutic options. In endemic countries healing of ulcerative lesions is often delayed by bacterial and/or fungal infections. Here, we studied a novel therapeutic concept to prevent superinfections, accelerate wound closure, and improve the cosmetic outcome of ACL. Methodology/Principal Findings From 2004 to 2008 we performed a two-armed, randomized, double-blinded, phase IIa trial in Kabul, Afghanistan, with patients suffering from L. tropica CL. The skin lesions were treated with bipolar high-frequency electrocauterization (EC) followed by daily moist-wound-treatment (MWT) with polyacrylate hydrogel with (group I) or without (group II) pharmaceutical sodium chlorite (DAC N-055). Patients below age 5, with facial lesions, pregnancy, or serious comorbidities were excluded. The primary, photodocumented outcome was the time needed for complete lesion epithelialization. Biopsies for parasitological and (immuno)histopathological analyses were taken prior to EC (1st), after wound closure (2nd) and after 6 months (3rd). The mean duration for complete wound closure was short and indifferent in group I (59 patients, 43.1 d) and II (54 patients, 42 d; p = 0.83). In patients with Leishmania-positive 2nd biopsies DAC N-055 caused a more rapid wound epithelialization (37.2 d vs. 58.3 d; p = 0.08). Superinfections occurred in both groups at the same rate (8.8%). Except for one patient, reulcerations (10.2% in group I, 18.5% in group II; p = 0.158) were confined to cases with persistent high parasite loads after healing. In vitro, DAC N-055 showed a leishmanicidal effect on pro- and amastigotes. Conclusions/Significance Compared to previous results with intralesional antimony injections, the EC plus MWT protocol led to more rapid wound closure. The tentatively lower rate of relapses and the acceleration of wound closure in a subgroup of patients with parasite persistence warrant future studies on the activity of DAC N-055. Trial Registration ClinicalTrails.gov NCT00947362 In many countries of the Middle East such as Afghanistan, cutaneous leishmaniasis is a highly prevalent, chronic and stigmatizing skin disease. Poor hygiene conditions frequently aggravate the lesions due to bacterial and fungal superinfections. Classical treatments with injections of pentavalent antimony are hampered by costs, side effects, resistance development, supply and manufactural quality problems. In the present study on Afghan patients with Leishmania tropica-induced skin lesions we evaluated the clinical effect of an initial removal of lesion tissue by electrocoagulation using a bipolar high-frequency electrosurgery instrument, followed by daily moist wound treatment with or without a preparation of pharmaceutical sodium chlorite (DAC N-055). DAC N-055 is a compound with anti-infective, immunomodulatory and tissue repair-promoting effects. Our analysis revealed that the carefully performed moist wound treatment led to a rapid healing of the wounds within an average period of 6 weeks, even in the absence of the sodium chlorite preparation. This is considerably faster than the time spans previously reported for local or systemic antimony treatment. We believe that the current standard for local care of chronic wounds should also be applied to Leishmania skin lesions. If combined with an initial single high-frequency electrocoagulation, it is a highly effective, inexpensive and well-tolerated treatment option for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Fawad Jebran
- Mikrobiologisches Institut – Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schleicher
- Mikrobiologisches Institut – Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Reto Steiner
- Leishmania Clinic, German Medical Service (NGO), Darwaze-e-Lahory, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Pia Wentker
- Mikrobiologisches Institut – Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Farouq Mahfuz
- Leishmania Clinic, German Medical Service (NGO), Darwaze-e-Lahory, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Hans-Christian Stahl
- Waisenmedizin e.V. Promoting Access to Care with Essential Medicine, Non-Profit Organization, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Faquir Mohammad Amin
- Leishmania Clinic, German Medical Service (NGO), Darwaze-e-Lahory, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Christian Bogdan
- Mikrobiologisches Institut – Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- * E-mail: (CB); (KWS)
| | - Kurt-Wilhelm Stahl
- Waisenmedizin e.V. Promoting Access to Care with Essential Medicine, Non-Profit Organization, Freiburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (CB); (KWS)
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