BACKGROUND The aim of present study was to determine the seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) among stray and owned dogs in Kouhsar district of Alborz Province, central Iran. METHODS The study was performed from March 2011 to July 2011 using Direct Agglutination Test (DAT). Three hundred and thirty seven dogs including 257 stary and 80 owned dogs were selected by random sampl...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is responsible for most Leishmania-associated deaths. VL represents a serious public health problem that affects many countries. The immune response in leishmaniasis is very complex and is poorly understood. The Th1 versus Th2 paradigm does not appear to be so clear in visceral leishmaniasis, suggesting that other immunosu...

The pathogenesis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is complex. Only 5 to 10% of kala-azar patients develop this dermal complication, and it is not known whether this is due to changes in the parasite genome or some host factors. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence and annotated genes of the whole genome of the PKDL strain.

A 37 year-old woman patient, from the Turgutlu district of the city of Manisa, was given a diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. Immunosuppression was not detected with flow cytometric analysis. Fungizone was given to the patient in 50 mg doses on alternative days 20 times. The treatment was successful and no important side effect was recorded. Considering the importance of visceral leishmaniasi...

Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) is a serious public health problem in several Brazilian cities. Although the proximity of chicken houses is often cited as a risk factor in studies of urban ZVL, the role chickens play in the epidemiology of the disease has not been defined. Chickens attract both male and female sand flies (Lutzomyia longipalpis) but are unable to sustain Leishmania infecti...

There appears to be an increase in imported cases of visceral leishmaniasis in Northern Europe; many are children infected on holiday in the Mediterranean. Making the diagnosis in young children can be difficult especially when an adequate travel history is not obtained at presentation. Two infants with visceral leishmaniasis are presented who were initially felt to have alternative diagnoses a...

The authors provide a brief report on the historical evolution of visceral leishmaniasis in the State of Maranhão, Brazil, evaluating possible factors for growth of the disease in the State and control measures by the Brazilian Ministry of Health to integrate health services into the maintenance of control programs.

In the last 20 years, despite the known underestimation of cases, Brazil registered a marked increase in the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis. The main goal of this review is to reflect on some aspects of this zoonosis in Brazil and also to encourage the discussion in order to find more viable, effective and affordable strategies to be implemented by the Brazilian Leishmaniasis Control Progr...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is among the most neglected of the tropical diseases, afflicting the poorest of the poor. In eastern Africa, VL causes at least 4000 deaths annually, a loss of approximately 385,000 disability-adjusted life years. Due to the chronicity of underlying causes, it is likely that the caseload will increase in the foreseeable future. While efforts should be pursued to deve...

The space occupation and the expansion of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) were described in the municipality of São Luis, Maranhão, Northeast Brazil. AVL medical notes from the Fundação Nacional de Saúde as well as official documents about the space occupation were analyzed from September 1982 to December 1996. AVL cases were more likely to occur in recently settled suburbs and tended to ...