Cb. Palatnikdesousa et al., TRANSMISSION OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS BY BLOOD-TRANSFUSION IN HAMSTERS, Brazilian journal of medical and biological research, 29(10), 1996, pp. 1311-1315
We have studied the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis by blood tr
ansfusion in the CB hamster model. Five normal CB hamsters (females, 2
.5 months old) received a 0.1-ml blood transfusion from a donor that h
ad been infected with 10(7) amastigotes of Leishmania donovani 90 days
prior to the blood harvest. The development of the disease in transfu
sed animals was monitored by the increase in anti-Leishmania serum ant
ibodies, splenomegaly, and spleen and liver parasitic burdens. The tra
nsfused hamsters developed all the typical signs of the disease, i.e.,
ascites, cachexia and death. The scores of anti-leishmania antibodies
(1.345) and the level of parasite load (spleen Leishman Donovan units
of Stauber (LDU) = 471, liver LDU = 378) in transfused hamsters were
similar to those observed in hamsters experimentally infected with 10(
7) amastigotes (P>0.05, Student t-test). Our results demonstrate that
blood transfusion is an effective route for transmission of visceral l
eishmaniasis, and we point out that adequate precautions should be tak
en at blood banks in the regions where leishmaniasis is endemic.