This study investigated the transmission and prevalence of Leishmania parasite infection of humans in two foci of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Georgia, the well known focus in Tbilisi in the East, and in Kutaisi, a new focus in the West of the country. The seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis was investigated in order to understand the zoonotic transmission. Blood samples of 1575 dogs (stra...

BACKGROUND In northern Ethiopia the prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis is steadily rising posing an increasing public health concern. In order to develop effective control strategies on the transmission of the disease it is important to generate knowledge on the epidemiological determinants of the infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We conducted a cross-sectional survey on children 4-...

Data on the burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Indian sub-continent are vital for elimination programme planners for estimating resource requirements, effective implementation and monitoring of elimination programme. In Indian sub-continent, about 200 million population is at risk of VL. Nearly 25,000-40,000 cases and 200-300 deaths are reported every year, but these are grossly underesti...

BACKGROUND This study was conducted in Bangladeshi patients in an outpatient setting to support registration of Paromomycin Intramuscular Injection (PMIM) as a low-cost treatment option in Bangladesh. METHODOLOGY This Phase IIIb, open-label, multi-center, single-arm trial assessed the efficacy and safety of PMIM administered at 11 mg/kg (paromomycin base) intramuscularly once daily for 21 con...

BACKGROUND Active case detection (ACD) significantly contributes to early detection and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases and is cost effective. This paper evaluates the performance and feasibility of adapting ACD strategies into national programs for VL elimination in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. METHODS The camp search and index ca...

Background and Aims: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is zoonotic human illness produced by Leishmania species. Protozoan parasite spread to the host vertebrate via sand fly female bite (Phlebotomus longipalpis), in which infected promastigotes convert into amastigotes; VL associated with high fatality if left untreated. The aims of current study were uncover prevalence potential risk factors for ch...

BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by protozoa of the Leishmania donovani complex, is a widespread parasitic disease of great public health importance; without effective chemotherapy symptomatic VL is usually fatal. Distinction of asymptomatic carriage from progressive disease and the prediction of relapse following treatment are hampered by the lack of prognostic biomarkers for use...

BACKGROUND The VL elimination strategy requires cost-effective tools for case detection and management. This intervention study tests the yield, feasibility and cost of 4 different active case detection (ACD) strategies (camp, index case, incentive and blanket approach) in VL endemic districts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS First, VL screening (fever more than ...

BACKGROUND An important issue associated with the control of visceral leishmaniasis is the need to identify and understand the relevance of asymptomatic infection caused by Leishmania infantum. The aim of this study was to follow the course of asymptomatic L. infantum infection in children in an area of Brazil where it is endemic. The children were assessed twice during a 12-month period. MET...

BACKGROUND An increasing number of reports are calling our attention to the worldwide spread of leishmaniasis. The urbanization of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been observed in different South American countries, due to changes in demographic and ecological factors. In May 2006, VL was detected for the first time in the city of Posadas (Misiones, Argentina). This event encouraged us...