Introduction

Leishmaniasis is a protozoan parasitic disease. There are three main forms of the disease: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. The mucocutaneous form is found mainly in the "New World" (i.e. the Americas) whereas the other two forms of the disease are found primarily in the "Old World" (i.e. Europe and Africa). Each of the three forms of the disease is caused by a different strain of Leishmania. Approximately 10-15 million people are currently infected with the disease. These individuals live mainly in South America and Africa. The epidemiology of the disease is discussed in further detail.

The primary vector for Leishmaniasis is the sandfly. The sandfly obtains the protozoan from reservoir species such as humans or dogs. Leishmania invades the host species when the sandfly has a blood meal from the host. For a more in-depth explanation be sure to visit the lifecycle section of this page.

There are many efforts underway in endemic areas to prevent further spread. For example, many communities are focusing on eliminating the sandfly vector populations. Also, residents of these areas often apply insect repellants on their skin to avoid exposure to infected sandflys. More information can be found in the community health area.

Leishmania evades the immune system by living in macrophages. When found in macrophages, the protozoan is in the amastigote phase. The microorganism can avoid digestion and lysis because of special proteins it manufactures. In addition, experiments involving leishmaniasis were key in establishing the current TH1/TH2 paradigm. More information is available in the immune system section.

Currently there are no drugs or vaccines for the prevention of Leishmaniasis. Pentavalent antimony compounds are the drugs of choice for treating cutaneous and visceral Leishmaniasis. Other methods, such as cytokine therapy and miltefosine, are in the experimental phase. For further detail, check out the vaccines and treatment page.

Symptoms of leishmaniasis include fatigue, weakness and diarrhea. Pictures of physical symptoms of the disease can be found on the symptoms page.

It has recently been found that HIV infected individuals display a higher frequency of Leishmaniasis in certain areas. For example, Lieshmaniasis seems to upregulate many of the cytokines and growth factors that HIV uses for viral replication and regulation. This is alarming as it means that Leishmaniasis/HIV coinfection will lead to quicker immune deterioration by the HIV virus. For more information, make sure to visit the HIV and Leishmaniasis page.

For more information on Leishmaniasis, make sure to check out the links area.

Should you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or belittlements, please contact the authors: Gabor Vari and Tom Whitlock.