Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by flagellated protozoa of the genus Leishmania ^[2]. Source material describes it as a poverty-related disease and distinguishes two main clinical forms, visceral leishmaniasis and cutaneous leishmaniasis ^[1]. More detailed source-backed characterization of species-specific differences, incubation, or classification beyond these broad forms is not yet available in the provided snippets ^[1][2].

The provided sources show that leishmaniasis includes visceral and cutaneous forms, and one source also notes mucosal leishmaniasis among the major clinical forms ^[1][2]. Cutaneous disease is described as presenting most commonly with crusted, ulcerated nodules and plaques ^[2]. The clinical presentation is said to depend on parasite virulence, host immune response, and lesion site ^[2]. Cutaneous leishmaniasis may resolve spontaneously within about one month or longer, but the source text is truncated and does not provide a complete course statement ^[2]. Source-backed detail on complications, fever patterns, organ involvement, or case severity by form is not yet available in the snippets ^[1][2].

An estimated 0.7–1 million new cases of leishmaniasis are reported annually from nearly 100 endemic countries ^[1]. The disease is described as extensively distributed worldwide, including the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Africa ^[2]. Reported visceral leishmaniasis cases have decreased substantially in the past decade in part because of improved access to diagnosis and treatment and more intense vector control within an elimination initiative in Asia, although natural variation in transmission intensity may also contribute ^[1]. In east Africa, however, case numbers of this fatal disease continue to be sustained ^[1]. For cutaneous leishmaniasis, increased conflict in endemic areas and forced displacement have been associated with a surge in cases in endemic settings and in clinics across the world ^[1].

For cutaneous leishmaniasis, the disease is most often zoonotic and transmitted by the bite of bloodsucking sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus ^[2]. The reservoirs are described as wild or semi-domesticated animals, generally rodents or dogs ^[2]. Source-backed detail on transmission routes for visceral disease, human-to-human spread, or persistence outside vector and reservoir cycles is not yet available in the provided material ^[1][2].

Source-backed risk-group detail is limited, but the literature identifies poverty as an important context for disease burden ^[1]. For cutaneous leishmaniasis, risk is linked to exposure in endemic areas where wild or semi-domesticated animal reservoirs and sand fly vectors are present ^[2]. The sources also indicate that conflict and forced displacement are associated with increased cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic areas and in clinics elsewhere, suggesting elevated risk in displaced populations and settings affected by instability ^[1].

The available material identifies vector control as part of the recent decline in reported visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, indicating that vector control is a relevant public-health measure ^[1]. It also notes that improved access to diagnosis and treatment has contributed to falling reported case numbers, though this is not a preventive intervention in the narrow sense ^[1]. More specific source-backed guidance on personal protection, reservoir control, or preventive schedules is not yet available in the snippets ^[1][2].

In surveillance terms, leishmaniasis should be interpreted as a neglected tropical disease with substantial geographic spread and marked dependence on local ecology, conflict, displacement, and vector-control context ^[1][2]. The reported burden may change with access to diagnosis and treatment as well as with transmission intensity, so case trends may reflect both true incidence and health-system or control-program effects ^[1]. Because the available sources distinguish visceral, cutaneous, and mucosal forms, surveillance reporting should preserve clinical form when available ^[1][2].

1. 1 Burza S et al. Leishmaniasis. Lancet. 2018 Sep 15. PMID: 30126638. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31204-2. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30126638/
2. 2 Mokni M et al. [Cutaneous leishmaniasis]. Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2019 Mar. PMID: 30879803. doi: 10.1016/j.annder.2019.02.002. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30879803/
3. 3 Searle T et al. Zinc in dermatology. J Dermatolog Treat. 2022 Aug. PMID: 35437093. doi: 10.1080/09546634.2022.2062282. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35437093/
4. 4 Leishmaniasis. Clinical Infectious Diseases Study Guide. 2020. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-50873-9_51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50873-9_51
5. 5 Leishmaniasis. Encyclopedia of Entomology. 2008. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_2008
6. 6 LEISHMANIASIS. The Lancet. 1971. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)91974-x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(71)91974-x

ICD-10

B55

ICD-11

1F51

Total cases

486K

Peak month

2001-10

Coverage

1 reporting countries · 2000-01-01 → 2025-09-01