Efecto de los corticosteroides en la leishmaniasis cutáneo-mucosa. Estudio experimental

Groups of "immunized" and "non-immunized" hamsters were inoculated weekly with 2, 10 or 20 mg of cortisone acetate per 100 gr of body weight and infected with Leishmania mexicana or L. braziliensis . Doses of 10 and 20 mg of cortisone were excessive, since the animals died with bacterial infections before they developed leishmaniasis. Inflammation and necrosis were more evident in animals inoculated with cortisone and L. mexicana . Furthermore, this strain caused lesions in lymphatic ganglia of immunosuppressed animals, but was not observed in those inoculated with L. braziliensis . There was no difference between the pathological findings in nonimmune are immune hamsters. These results could indicate that passive immunization with dead antigen is not effective.