Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a malaria-like parasite called Leishmania in human and some species of animals. Detection of leishmaniasis has always been crucial for control and treatment of the disease. Different strategies have been approached for detection of leishmania. In this review methods used for detection of leishmania infection have been discussed and compared. Key word: Leishm...

The leishmaniases are diseases caused by pathogenic protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Infections are initiated when a sand fly vector inoculates Leishmania parasites into the skin of a mammalian host. Leishmania causes a spectrum of inflammatory cutaneous disease manifestations. The type of cutaneous pathology is determined in part by the infecting Leishmania species, but also by a c...

Experimental vaccine candidates have been evaluated to prevent leishmaniasis, but no commercial vaccine has been proved to be effective against more than one parasite species. LiHyT is a Leishmania-specific protein that was firstly identified as protective against Leishmania infantum. In this study, LiHyT was evaluated as a vaccine to against two Leishmania species causing tegumentary leishmani...

Leishmania (Viannia) lainsoni is the Leishmania species that presents the most distinct biological (morphology, growth in axenic culture medium), biochemical (enzymatic electrophoresis profile), and molecular biology characteristics, when compared to other species of the Viannia subgenus. Development of promastigote forms of this parasite attached to the wall of the pyloric and hind gut regions...

Between March 2000 and December 2001 a survey of the sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) of French Guiana was carried out during 14 nights of captures with CDC light-traps and Malaise traps, and resulted in the collection of 2245 individuals of 38 species. The most abundant species were Lutzomyia (Trichophoromyia) ininii Floch & Abonnenc, Lu.(Psychodopygus) squamiventris maripaensis Floch & Abo...

We report the first establishment of in vitro cultivation and genotypic characterization of Leishmania siamensis isolated from an autochthonous disseminated dermal and visceral leishmaniasis in a Thai acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient. The molecular identification has shown that the parasite was identical to L. siamensis, a recently described Leishmania species reported in the s...

General Considerations The most common etiologic agents of VL are 3 species of the L. donovani complex: Leishmania donovani donovani and Leishmania donovani infantum in the Indian subcontinent, Africa, China, the Mediterranean littoral, and the Middle East; and Leishmania donovani chagasi in South America. (Hereafter, organisms will be identified only by genus and species; eg, L. donovani for L...

Objective: To identify the Leishmania species being responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Multan. Method: Parasites were isolated from clinically and parasitologically confirmed lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis from 30 patients by fine needle aspiration (FNA). The bioptical materials were then cultured in Evans Tobie's medium and parasites isolated were identified by isoenzyme electropho...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), commonly known as kala-azar, is caused by Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum (Leishmania chagasi in the Americas). These Leishmania species infect macrophages throughout the viscera, and parasites are typically found in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. Patients with active disease typically exhibit marked immunosuppression, lack reactivity to the Leishma...

Phylogenetic studies on trypanosomatid barcode using V7V8 SSU rRNA and gGAPDH gene sequences have provided support for redefining some trypanosomatid species and positioning new isolates. The genus Leishmania is a slow evolving monophyletic group and including important human pathogens. The phylogenetic relationships of this genus have been determined by the natural history of its vertebrate ho...