Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0019214 (hepatosplenomegaly)
 4,408 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is transmitted by sandflies, is always present in at least 62 countries and is spreading to areas where it had not existed in the past. VL/HIV co-infections are becoming more and more common. In southern Europe, 25-70% of adult VL cases also have HIV infection. 1.5-9% of AIDS cases have newly acquired or reactivated VL. In the Mediterranean area, VL is the most common opportunistic parasitic infection among AIDS cases (i.e., 100 CD4/mcl). AIDS patients with VL have a much shorter survival period than other AIDS patients. VL can lie dormant for years but emerge clinically if an infected person has immunosuppression. Most VL/HIV co-infections in the western hemisphere are in Brazil. East African countries reporting VL/HIV co-infections include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Sudan. Only one VL/HIV co-infected case has been found in Cameroon and in Guinea Bissau. VL/HIV co-infection cases tend to not have the usual VL clinical signs and symptoms (fever, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, polyadenopathies), making clinical diagnosis difficult. Since VL test sensitivity in HIV positive patients is reduced 20-40%, it is also difficult to make a serological diagnosis. In the first VL episode of HIV-infected patients, clinicians should use BMA, the safest and most sensitive test. Drug options for VL treatment include pentavalent antimonials, pentamidine, amphotericin B, and amphotericin B encapsulated in liposomes. Treatment failure is rather common in VL/HIV co-infected patients. Researchers from different centers need to conduct trials of various multi-therapy schedules. 70% of VL/HIV co-infected cases in southern Europe use intravenous drugs, suggesting that sharing of needles may account for the co-infection. The World Health Organization has mobilized against VL/HIV co-infections, including setting up a minimal surveillance system.
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PMID:Leishmania / HIV co-infections. 1229 May 65