Leishmaniasis - another deadly sickness

Leishmaniasis, one of the dangerous tropical and subtropical diseases which is caused by a flaggelated protozoa parasite known as leishmania, of the order Kinetoplastodia.The parasite, leishmania which is usually transmitted through the bites of infected female sandflies of genus Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia.The disease became known as Leishmaniasis after William Leishman in 1901 when he discovered an ovoid bodies in the spleen of one British soldier experiencing fever,anaemia and muscular atrophy.Leishman described this illness as “dum dum fever” and published his findings in 1903 It is estimated that there are 0.9 to 1.6 million new cases of leishmaniasis and 20,000 to 30,000 deaths annually.Many factors are known to facilitate the transmission of the disease: Poverty, resulting in poor housing and sanitation conditions (e.g. garbage and open sewers) which may increase insect breeding and resting sites and facilitate transmission to humans. Leishmaniasis is associated with migration and the movement of people to areas with existing transmission cycles.The disease can present in three clinical forms: 

1.Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL)

2.Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL)

3.Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis

Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral Leishmaniasis known as Black fever or Kala-azar is caused by the Protozoa parasites, Leshmania donovani and Leshmania infantum. Kala-azar is potentially fatal if left untreated.isceral leishmaniasis cases are usually recorded in poor, remote, and politically unstable areas where there is limited health care and patients have little access to affordable medications. Half of clinical cases of kala Azar occur in children and It is estimated that about 90% of the 50,000 to 90,000 new cases arising each year occurs in the rural areas of India, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Brazil, and that only 30% of cases are reported.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

The most common form of leishmaniasis is cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL).It is characterized by the production of the ulcers on the exposed part of the body such as arms,legs and face. Unlike visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous Leishmaniasis is not life threatening but the disfiguring lesions on part of the body can lead to affected persons being stigmatized.

The exact incidence of Cutaneous leishmaniasis is not known but is is estimated that over 600,000-1,200,000 cases are recorded each year.

Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis

This type of Leishmaniasis is considered the subset of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis when the infection spread to the oral and nasal mucous membrane. It is a rare form of the diseases usually occur after skin ulcers heal.Like cutaneous Leishmaniasis,it is fatal and required adequate treatment.

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