INTRODUCTION In 2005, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal joined forces to eliminate Visceral Leishmaniasis (or kala-azar) from the region by 2015. In Bangladesh the elimination target is set at less than one new case per 10,000 population per year at upazila (sub-district) level. As the deadline approaches, we review the status of the elimination initiative in this country. METHODS We collected all...

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most neglected tropical diseases worldwide. The diagnosis and treatment of this disease is quite complex. Sodium Antimony Gluconate (SAG) which used to be a very effective treatment has now developed resistance and is potentially a cardio-toxic drug. Pentamidine has now been discarded because of adverse effect of diabetes mellitus. Amphotericin-B is an ...

A simple colorimetric beta-lactamase assay for quantifying Leishmania amastigotes in macrophages grown in microtiter plates has been reported. The beta-lactamase gene was integrated into the rRNA region of the genome, thereby allowing for high-level stable expression of the enzyme. Both visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) isolates were transfected with bet...

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a macular, papular, and/or nodular skin rash that can appear as a sequel of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani. In Bangladesh, it occurs in around 10% of VL patients, leading to high prevalences of 6/ 10,000–21/10,000 population in endemic regions [1,2]. Over 95% of lesions are macular and cause no or little physical discomfor...

0590 V isceral leishmaniasis (VL), commonly known as kala-azar, from the Hindu vernacular, is a human systemic disease caused by parasitic protozoan species of the genus Leishmania. Transmitted by the bite of the tiny and seemingly innocuous female phlebotomine sandfl y (Figure 1), the parasite enters macrophages, where it multiplies and establishes the infection (Figure 2). A multitude of clin...

BACKGROUND Long regimens for the treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) result in noncompliance. A safe, effective, and acceptable regimen for the treatment of PKDL is still to be developed. Miltefosine has been found to be effective in the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Hence, its efficacy was tested in patients of PKDL. METHODS In this exploratory study, 33 patie...

Mymensingh is the most endemic district for kala-azar in Bangladesh. Phlebotomus argentipes remains the only known vector although a number of sand fly species are prevalent in this area. Genotyping of sand flies distributed in a VL endemic area was developed by a PCR and restriction-fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) of 18S rRNA gene of sand fly species. Using the RFLP-PCR analysis with AfaI ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the cost of kala-azar (KA) to patients in Bihar, India. METHOD A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect costs of illness--direct (medical; non-medical) and indirect costs (work days lost). After screening the community known to be endemic for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), households (HHs) with VL were recruited which reported a case of KA who received treatmen...

BACKGROUND   Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) constitutes a parasite reservoir important in the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Unacceptable treatment regimens and increasing drug resistance blight control programmes. The success of oral miltefosine in VL prompted a clinical, histopathological and parasitological study of this drug in PKDL. OBJECTIVES To define the dose...

UNLABELLED Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatosis that affects more than 50% of successfully treated visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients in Sudan. PKDL is considered an important reservoir for the parasite and its treatment may help in the control of VL. Currently, treatment is mainly with sodium stibogluconate (SSG), an expensive and fairly toxic drug and without universal...