EFFECT OF PENTAVALENT ANTIMONIAL TREATMENT ON THE HISTOPATHOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF DIFFUSE CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS DUE TO LEISHMANIA-AMAZONENSIS

The histopathological and ultrastructural aspects of six patients with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (three with the polar form and three with the sub-polar and borderline forms) during and after treatment wi th pentavalent antimony associated with IFN-gamma is presented. In mos t of the biopsies a marked decrease or disappearence of the parasitism and of the macrophagic aspect associated with an increase in the inte nsity of the lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and appearance of granulom as was observed in two cases. These aspects indicated a cell-mediated immune response that in two cases were enough to produce clearing of p arasitism and healing of the lesions demonstrating the effectiveness o f the treatment associating pentavalent antimony with IFN-gamma.