GAMMA-INTERFERON AS AN IMMUNOLOGICAL STRA TEGY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HUMAN LEISHMANIASIS

T lymphocytes from patients with visceral leishmaniasis treated in vit ro with leishmania antigens are unable to proliferate and to produce g amma interferon. These patients have negative specific skin tests. Opp osite results are obtained in patients with another clinical form of t he disease named mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, in which both tests are positive. Nevertheless, patients with visceral leishmaniasis or mucocu taneous leishmaniasis, refractory to chemotherapy (antimonium complex) , were cured when treated with antimonium in combination with gamma in terferon, in spite of different immunological profiles. Different inte rpretative hypotheses of the reversion of chemoresistance induced by g amma interferon are discussed.