Disease severity in patients with visceral leishmaniasis is not altered by co-infection with intestinal parasites.

Tajebe, Fitsumbrhan; Getahun, Mulusew; Adem, Emebet; Hailu, Asrat; Lemma, Mulualem; Fikre, Helina; Raynes, John; Tamiru, Aschalew; Mulugeta, Zemenay; Diro, Ermias; +8 more... Toulza, Frederic; Shkedy, Ziv; Ayele, Tadesse; Modolell, Manuel; Munder, Markus; Müller, Ingrid; Takele, Yegnasew; Kropf, Pascale; (2017) Disease severity in patients with visceral leishmaniasis is not altered by co-infection with intestinal parasites. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 11 (7). e0005727-. ISSN 1935-2727 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005727

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease that affects the poorest communities and can cause substantial morbidity and mortality. Visceral leishmaniasis is characterized by the presence of Leishmania parasites in the spleen, liver and bone marrow, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, prolonged fever, systemic inflammation and low body mass index (BMI). The factors impacting on the severity of VL are poorly characterized. Here we performed a cross-sectional study to assess whether co-infection of VL patients with intestinal parasites influences disease severity, assessed with clinical and haematological data, inflammation, cytokine profiles and BMI. Data from VL patients was similar to VL patients co-infected with intestinal parasites, suggesting that co-infection of VL patients with intestinal parasites does not alter disease severity.

Additional Information

Item Type	Article
Keywords	Adolescent, Adult, Animals, Body Mass Index, Bone Marrow, parasitology, Case-Control Studies, Coinfection, physiopathology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cytokines, analysis, Ethiopia, Hepatomegaly, Humans, Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic, Leishmaniasis, Visceral, Logistic Models, Male, Parasites, classification, isolation & purification, Severity of Illness Index, Splenomegaly, Young Adult
Faculty and Department	Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases > Department of Infection Biology
Research Centre	Leishmaniasis Group
PubMed ID	28732017
ISI	408057300039
Related URLs	OA Location