Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease characterized by immune suppression. Successful treatment is usually followed by immune reconstitution and a dermatosis called post-Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Recently, PKDL was described as one of the immune reconstitution syndromes (IRISs) in HIV/VL patients on HAART. This study aimed to present PKDL as a typical example of parado...

Leishmania infections are worldwide in distribution. The disease is endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions of 88 countries. There are an estimated 12 million cases worldwide; 1.5 to 2 million new cases occur every year. Cutaneous forms are most common (1 to 1.5 million cases per year), and 500,000 cases of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar, VL) occur every year. The resurgence of leish...

BACKGROUND Patients with Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) are considered a reservoir of Leishmania donovani. It is imperative to identify and treat them early for control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a current priority in the Indian subcontinent. We explored trends in clinico-epidemiological features of PKDL cases over last two decades, for improving management of the disease. ME...

Context: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic infectious disease caused by parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex, also known as Kala Azar. It is an endemic disease in the Indian subcontinent, mainly seen in the states of Bihar and West Bengal. VL can cause a variety of haematological disorders like anaemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and pancytopenia. Myelofibrosis, Myelodysplasia ...

BACKGROUND PCR based diagnosis for Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), despite numerous published primers, remains far from being applied in the field. The present study was planned to design a Leishmania specific diagnostic assay and to evaluate its sensitivity and specificity on a sample size, which to the best of our knowledge is the largest ever screened in one study. METHODS Leishmania specific...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Leishmaniasis as a dynamic disease may be markedly influenced by demographic and ecological factors. A geospatial information system study was developed to determine the distribution of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases in relation to population, climatic and environmental factors in Fars province, southwest of Iran. METHODS The dwelling addresses of 217 VL patients we...

BACKGROUND The skin disorder Post Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) occurs in up to 10% of patients treated for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in India. The pathogenesis of PKDL is not yet fully understood. Cases have been reported in India following therapy with most available treatments, but rarely in those treated with liposomal amphotericin B (Ambisome). Between July 2007 and August 2012 w...

BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar cases in seasonal labour migrants from highland areas are addressed to travel history to the Metema-Humera lowlands, northwestern Ethiopia. Factors that affect the incidence of VL in extra-domestic habitats were not evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate sero-prevalence of Leishmania donovani infection in randomly selected labour mig...

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar, VL) is a vector-borne illness that affects people all over the world. Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) has been recognised as tool for eliminating illness. In context of Kala-azar elimination, it critical to address evidence-based studies on IRS success and failure. Methodology: For literature search, Internet was used. The following websites were visit...