Dados do Trabalho

Título

Adenosine deaminase activity in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis

Introdução

Leishmaniasis has a high health impact worldwide given that an estimated 360 million people are at risk of becoming ill. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most prevalent form, maintaining its unique characteristics. Treatment is still a challenge regarding the availability of new drugs and prognostic criteria. Biomarkers that predict good therapeutic responses are necessary. A promising biomarker is adenosine deaminase (ADA). It is a cheap and relatively easy test to perform.

Objetivo (s)

To evaluate the ADA serum levels of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Brazil.

Material e Métodos

The study was conducted at the Leishmaniasis Outpatient Clinic of Hospital Universitário Júlio Muller in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. Fifteen participants recently diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis were evaluated before the start of treatment at Day 0 and then evaluated once a month during a follow-up period of 90 days. In all evaluations, an examination of the skin ulcers was performed, and venous blood samples were collected for the quantification of adenosine deaminase serum levels. A control group of ten participants was evaluated only once. Enzyme levels were quantified by using a commercial kit developed by BioTecnica, the manufacturer’s instructions were followed. The study was submitted to the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Brasília with CAAE 66238622.7.0000.5558 and received approval number 5.898.370.

Resultados e Conclusão

The median values of the serum ADA levels for the group of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were: 12,34 (9,06) U/L on Day 0, 12,26 (5,38) U/L on Day 30, 11,48 (5,45) U/L on Day 60 and 8,62 (4,13) U/L on Day 90. The median ADA level for the control group was 6,29 (4,45) U/L. A statistically significant difference was observed between both groups at Day 0 (p=0,001) and along the follow-up period in the study group participants (p

Palavras Chave

: “cutacutaneous leishmaniasis”, “adenosine deaminase”, “neglected diseases”