leishmaniasis

leishmaniasis
/leesh'meuh nuy"euh sis, luysh'-/, n. Pathol.
any infection caused by a protozoan of the genus Leishmania.
Also, leishmaniosis /leesh man'ee oh"sis, -may'nee-, luysh-/. Cf. kala-azar.
[1910-15; LEISHMAN(IA) + -IASIS]

* * *

Human protozoal infection spread by the bite of a bloodsucking sand fly.

It occurs worldwide but is especially prevalent in tropical areas. It is caused by various species of the flagellate protozoan Leishmania, which infect rodents and canines. Visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, occurs throughout the world but is especially prevalent in the Mediterranean area, Africa, Asia, and Latin America; it affects the liver, spleen, and bone marrow and is usually fatal if not treated. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in areas around the Mediterranean, in central and northern Africa, and in southern and western Asia; it is also found in Central and South America and parts of the southern U.S. It is characterized by lesions on the skin of the legs, feet, hands, and face, most of which heal spontaneously after many months.

* * *

      human protozoal infection spread by the bite of a sandfly. Leishmaniasis occurs worldwide but is especially prevalent in tropical areas. Three major forms of the disease are recognized: visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous.

      Leishmaniasis (leishmania) is caused by various species of the flagellate protozoan Leishmania, of the order Kinetoplastida. These parasites infect a variety of vertebrate animals, such as rodents and canines. They are transmitted to humans by the bite of a bloodsucking sandfly, which belongs to the genus Lutzomyia in the Americas and to Phlebotomus in the Old World. Leishmanial parasites have two morphologic stages in their life cycle. One form, which inhabits the digestive tract of the sandfly, is an elongated, motile, flagellated form called a promastigote or leptimonad. The other, a round or oval, nonmotile form, called an amastigote, is found in certain cells (i.e., macrophages) of vertebrates. If a sandfly dines on an infected vertebrate, it will ingest cells containing amastigotes, which develop into promastigotes in its gut. There the promastigotes multiply, eventually entering the fly's saliva. From here they can enter another vertebrate through the wound made during the sandfly's next blood meal, thus initiating a new infection.

      Depending on the species of Leishmania that invades a host and on the host's immunologic response to the infection, one of three principal types of leishmaniasis can arise. Visceral leishmaniasis, also called kala-azar, is produced by several subspecies of L. donovani. It occurs throughout the world but is especially prevalent in the Mediterranean area, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This form of the disease is systemic, primarily affecting the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and other viscera. Symptoms, which include fever, weight loss, reduction in the number of white blood cells, and enlargement of the spleen and liver, usually appear two months or more after infection. The disease is usually fatal if not treated. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by several Leishmania species. It is characterized by lesions that range from pimples to large ulcers located on the skin of the legs, feet, hands, and face, most of which heal spontaneously after many months. A distinction is made between cutaneous leishmaniasis of the Old World and of the New World. That of the Old World, also called Oriental sore, is endemic in areas around the Mediterranean, in central and northeast Africa, and in south and west Asia. It is caused primarily by L. major, L. tropica, and L. aethiopica. Cutaneous leishmaniasis of the New World, which is found in Central and South America and parts of the southern United States, is caused mainly by L. mexicana and L. viannia braziliensis. This infection may spread to the oral and nasal mucous membranes, a complication referred to as mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, or espundia. Destruction of the lips, throat, palate, and larynx can ensue. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis may not appear until years after an initial cutaneous lesion has healed.

      All types of leishmaniasis are treated with compounds of antimony, such as sodium stibogluconate. Spread of the disease is prevented by controlling sandfly populations.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Leishmaniasis — Classification and external resources Cutaneous leishmaniasis in the hand of a Central American adult …   Wikipedia

  • Leishmaniasis — Clasificación y recursos externos …   Wikipedia Español

  • leishmaniasis — enfermedad producida por un protozoo flagelado (género Leishmania, orden Kinetoplástica) que es transmitida por un mosquito que hace de vector. La enfermedad es relativamente frecuente en el perro, pero menos en el hombre. fotografía [véase… …   Diccionario médico

  • leishmaniasis — [lēsh΄mə nī′ə sis] n. [ModL < Leishmania, after Sir W. B. Leishman (1865 1926), Scot bacteriologist] any of several infectious diseases, esp. kala azar, caused by protozoan parasites (genus Leishmania) …   English World dictionary

  • Leishmaniasis — Diseases due to the parasite called Leishmania involving the organs (kala azar), skin plus mucous membranes (espundia), or skin alone (usually named for the place plus boil, button or sore as, for example, Jericho boil, Bagdad button, Delhi sore) …   Medical dictionary

  • leishmaniasis — n. a disease, common in the tropics and subtropics, caused by parasitic protozoans of the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted by the bite of sandflies. There are two principal forms of the disease: visceral leishmaniasis, in which the cells… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • leishmaniasis — {{#}}{{LM L23613}}{{〓}} {{[}}leishmaniasis{{]}} ‹leish·ma·nia·sis› {{◆}}(pl. leishmaniasis){{◇}} {{《}}▍ s.f.{{》}} Enfermedad infecciosa causada por ciertos parásitos que puede afectar a la piel o a órganos como el hígado y el bazo: • La… …   Diccionario de uso del español actual con sinónimos y antónimos

  • leishmaniasis — Disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The parasite lives intracellularly in macrophages. Various forms of the disease are known, depending upon the species of parasite: in particular visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar),… …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • leishmaniasis — Infección humana por protozoos que se disemina por la picadura de un mosquito simúlido hematófago. La afección es mundial, pero es especialmente prevalente en las zonas tropicales. Es producida por varias especies de Leishmania, protozoo… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • leishmaniasis americana — Grupo de infecciones mucocutáneas producidas por varias especies de Leishmania, caracterizadas por lesiones ulcerativas que desfiguran la nariz, la boca y la garganta. Algunos tipos de leishmaniasis americana son: espundia, pian del bosque,… …   Diccionario médico

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”