What is leishmaniasis Wikipedia?

Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus Leishmania. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia, and occurs most frequently in the tropics and sub-tropics of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and southern Europe.

What is the classification of leishmaniasis?

Leishmania
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Class: Kinetoplastea
Order: Trypanosomatida
Genus: Leishmania Borovsky 1898 (Ross 1903)

Why leishmaniasis is called black fever?

Visceral disease, the most devastating and fatal form of leishmaniasis, is classically known as kala-azar or the Indian name for “black fever/disease,” which is a reference to the characteristic darkening of the skin that is seen in patients with this condition.

What is the life cycle of leishmaniasis?

Life Cycle. Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of female phlebotomine sandflies. The sandflies inject the infective stage, promastigotes, during blood meals . Promastigotes that reach the puncture wound are phagocytized by macrophages and transform into amastigotes .

Who discovered Leishmania?

In November 1900, the Scottish pathologist William Boog Leishman (1865–1926) (Fig. 1), who served with the British Army in India, discovered ovoid bodies in smears taken post-mortem from the spleen of a soldier who died from emaciation and splenomegaly while stationed at Dum Dum, a town near Calcutta [47].

How can leishmaniasis be treated?

Liposomal amphotericin B is FDA-approved for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis and generally is the treatment of choice for U.S. patients.

Which cells of your body does Leishmania infect?

Two major APCs, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), play critical roles in mediating resistance and susceptibility during Leishmania infection. Macrophages are the primary resident cell for Leishmania: they phagocytose and permit parasite proliferation.