Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Afghanistan.

Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (OWCL) is a sand fly-transmitted skin infection caused by Leishmania species that extends from West Africa to China. Afghanistan probably has the highest burden of OWCL and is home chiefly to Leishmania  tropica and Leishmania  major, which cause anthroponotic and zoonotic CL, respectively. Although data on the species distribution in Afghanistan are patchy, L.

Patient insights research exploring disease awareness, patient life experience, and current management of visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania parasites and transmitted by sand fly bites, targeted for elimination in India. VL primarily affects rural, low-income populations with limited health care access. In South Asia, few studies have explored patients' perspectives, diagnoses, and treatment experiences; particularly lacking an understanding about the patients' life experiences outside of clinical research settings.

Disease-Specific Differences in Pharmacokinetics of Paromomycin and Miltefosine Between Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis and Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients in Eastern Africa.

Treatment regimens for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) are usually extrapolated from those for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), but drug pharmacokinetics (PK) can differ due to disease-specific variations in absorption, distribution, and elimination. This study characterized PK differences in paromomycin and miltefosine between 109 PKDL and 264 VL patients from Eastern Africa. VL patients showed 0.

Persistent T cell unresponsiveness associated with chronic visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-coinfected patients.

A large proportion of HIV-coinfected visceral leishmaniasis (VL-HIV) patients exhibit chronic disease with frequent VL recurrence. However, knowledge on immunological determinants underlying the disease course is scarce. We longitudinally profiled the circulatory cellular immunity of an Ethiopian HIV cohort that included VL developers.

Blood transfusion in the care of patients with visceral leishmaniasis: a review of practices in therapeutic efficacy studies.

Blood transfusion remains an important aspect of patient management in visceral leishmaniasis (VL). However, transfusion triggers considered are poorly understood. This review summarises the transfusion practices adopted in VL efficacy studies using the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory VL clinical trials library.

Correction: Treatment outcomes among snakebite patients in north-west Ethiopia-A retrospective analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

Correction: The increasing incidence of visceral leishmaniasis relapse in South Sudan: A retrospective analysis of field patient data from 2001-2018.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

Chronic High-Level Parasitemia in HIV-Infected Individuals With or Without Visceral Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Area in Northwest Ethiopia: Potential Superspreaders?

Background: People with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) with recurrent visceral leishmaniasis (VL) could potentially drive Leishmania transmission in areas with anthroponotic transmission such as East Africa, but studies are lacking. Leishmania parasitemia has been used as proxy for infectiousness.

Methods: This study is nested within the Predicting Visceral Leishmaniasis in HIV-InfectedPatients (PreLeisH) prospective cohort study, following 490 PWH free of VL at enrollment for up to 24-37 months in northwest Ethiopia.

Haematological dynamics following treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: a protocol for systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis.

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease with an estimated 30 000 new cases occurring annually. Despite anaemia being a common haematological manifestation of VL, the evolution of different haematological characteristics following treatment remains poorly understood. An individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) is planned to characterise the haematological dynamics in patients with VL.

Short oral regimens for pulmonary rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (TB-PRACTECAL): an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 2B-3, multi-arm, multicentre, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Around 500 000 people worldwide develop rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis each year. The proportion of successful treatment outcomes remains low and new treatments are needed. Following an interim analysis, we report the final safety and efficacy outcomes of the TB-PRACTECAL trial, evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral regimens for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.

Host, parasite and drug determinants of clinical outcomes following treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: a protocol for individual participant data meta-analysis.

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease with an estimated 30 000 new cases occurring annually. There is an observed variation in the efficacy of the current first-line therapies across different regions. Such heterogeneity could be a function of host, parasite and drug factors.

Proportion of paediatric admissions with any stage of noma at the Anka General Hospital, northwest Nigeria.

Introduction: Noma is a rapidly spreading infection of the oral cavity which mainly affects young children. Without early treatment, it can have a high mortality rate. Simple gingivitis is a warning sign for noma, and acute necrotizing gingivitis is the first stage of noma.

Therapeutic Strategies against and .

Human African trypanosomiasis (also known as sleeping sickness, with and as etiological agents), American trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas disease, with as the etiological agent), and leishmaniasis (including cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral forms, with multiple species belonging to the genus as etiological agents) are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) [...

Systematic review on cumulative HIV viraemia among people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral treatment and its association with mortality and morbidity.

Background: We performed a systematic review to generate evidence on the association between cumulative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viraemia and health outcomes.

Methods: Quantitative studies reporting on HIV cumulative viraemia (CV) and its association with health outcomes among people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were included. We searched MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science and conference abstracts from 1 January 2008 to 1 August 2022.

Population pharmacokinetics of a combination of miltefosine and paromomycin in Eastern African children and adults with visceral leishmaniasis.

Objectives: To improve visceral leishmaniasis (VL) treatment in Eastern Africa, 14- and 28-day combination regimens of paromomycin plus allometrically dosed miltefosine were evaluated. As the majority of patients affected by VL are children, adequate paediatric exposure to miltefosine and paromomycin is key to ensuring good treatment response.

Methods: Pharmacokinetic data were collected in a multicentre randomized controlled trial in VL patients from Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda.

A 24-Week, All-Oral Regimen for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Background: In patients with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis, all-oral treatment regimens that are more effective, shorter, and have a more acceptable side-effect profile than current regimens are needed.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, phase 2-3, multicenter, randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three 24-week, all-oral regimens for the treatment of rifampin-resistant tuberculosis. Patients in Belarus, South Africa, and Uzbekistan who were 15 years of age or older and had rifampin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis were enrolled.

Advanced HIV disease and associated attrition after re-engagement in HIV care in Myanmar from 2003 to 2019: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The burden of advanced HIV disease (AHD) and predictors of outcomes among people living with HIV (PLHIV) re-engaging in care are not well known.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of PLHIV who re-engaged in care after being lost to follow-up (LFU), from 2003 to 2019, in Myanmar. We calculated the incidence rates of attrition after re-engagement and performed Cox regression to identify risk factors for attrition.

Paromomycin and Miltefosine Combination as an Alternative to Treat Patients With Visceral Leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa: A Randomized, Controlled, Multicountry Trial.

Background: This study aimed to determine whether paromomycin plus miltefosine (PM/MF) is noninferior to sodium stibogluconate plus paromomycin (SSG/PM) for treatment of primary visceral leishmaniasis in eastern Africa.

Methods: An open-label, phase 3, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in adult and pediatric patients at 7 sites in eastern Africa. Patients were randomly assigned to either 20 mg/kg paromomycin plus allometric dose of miltefosine (14 days), or 20 mg/kg sodium stibogluconate plus 15 mg/kg paromomycin (17 days).

The increasing incidence of visceral leishmaniasis relapse in South Sudan: A retrospective analysis of field patient data from 2001-2018.

Background: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in South Sudan, manifesting periodically in major outbreaks. Provision of treatment during endemic periods and as an emergency response is impeded by instability and conflict. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has provided health care in South Sudan since the late 1980's, including treatment for 67,000 VL patients.

Viraemic-time predicts mortality among people living with HIV on second-line antiretroviral treatment in Myanmar: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Despite HIV viral load (VL) monitoring being serial, most studies use a cross-sectional design to evaluate the virological status of a cohort. The objective of our study was to use a simplified approach to calculate viraemic-time: the proportion of follow-up time with unsuppressed VL above the limit of detection. We estimated risk factors for higher viraemic-time and whether viraemic-time predicted mortality in a second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) cohort in Myanmar.