For most infectious diseases, increased formation of reactive oxygen species is secondary to the primary disease process. Some microorganisms are highly susceptible to exogenous reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) remove H 2 O 2 , and selenium is requird for the activity of GSH-Px. Therefore, to assess the status of GSH-Px and selenium in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), we determined serum selenium concentration and blood GSH-Px activity in 52 patients with CL and in 38 healthy controls. Selenium concentrations and GSH-Px activities were found to be lower in the patient group than in the controls (p

For most infectious diseases, increased formation of reactive oxygen species is secondary to the primary disease process. Some microorganisms are highly susceptible to exogenous reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) remove H 2 O 2 , and selenium is requird for the activity of GSH-Px. Therefore, to assess the status of GSH-Px and selenium in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), we determined serum selenium concentration and blood GSH-Px activity in 52 patients with CL and in 38 healthy controls. Selenium concentrations and GSH-Px activities were found to be lower in the patient group than in the controls (p