BACKGROUND One of the most important drawbacks in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) population studies is the difficulty of diagnosing asymptomatic carriers. The aim of this study, conducted in an urban area in the Southeast of Brazil, was to evaluate the performance of serology to identify asymptomatic VL infection in participants selected from a cohort with a two-year follow-up period. METHODOLOG...

In Bangladesh, serological tests have been widely used for the primary screening of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Several serologic tests are available for the diagnosis of VL. Selection of the best test is important to permit diagnostic differentiation between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and to reduce cross-reactivity. We evaluated the effectiveness of a new serological test "Onsite L...

BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar in the Indian sub-continent (ISC), is a major public health concern in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, where it is caused by Leishmania donovani transmitted by the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes. Various ecological parameters including air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, relative humidity, soil moisture, pH, and organic carbon ar...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, produces 500,000 new cases of disease per year around the world. VL is a serious and debilitating disease that affects economic productivity and quality of life, and is nearly 100% fatal if not treated promptly. VL occurs on four continents and is endemic in 47 countries, with approximately 200 million people at risk of infection. The number...

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of Leishmania genus and in Iran by Leishmania infantum. Cytokines have a major role in determining progression and severity of clinical manifestations in VL. The role of TGF-β1 in VL has been recognized since 1992. We investigated polymorphism in the TGF-β1 gene, which is a cytokine known to have...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as American VL, or neotropical kala-azar, is an epidemic zooanthroponosis endemic to Brazil. It affects both rural and peri-urban areas, and can also spread into urban areas. The causative agent is Leishmania infantum chagasi, and the principal vector is the sand fly species Lutzomyia longipalpis. Domestic dogs are the main host for the insect vector, and...

background: since pars abad district had been known as a focus of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in ardabil province but the prevalence of the disease in nomadic tribes has not been determined, thus, this study was conducted. methods: this descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted on children up to 12yr old of nomadic tribes from pars abad county, ardabil province, iran in 2015. for each in...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Of the two reservoirs of infection of kala-azar i.e., patients of kala-azar and post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), PKDL provides easy access for the sandfly to pick up the parasites. In the last epidemic of 1977 in India, the importance of PKDL as a potential cause of increase in number of kala-azar cases was ignored. During recent years, we found an increase in ...

INTRODUCTION Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a cutaneous complication appearing after treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, and PKDL patients are considered infectious to sand flies and may therefore play a role in the transmission of VL. We estimated the risk and risk factors of PKDL in patients with past VL treatment in south-eastern Nepal. METHODS Between February and May 2010...

BACKGROUND Known as 'neglected disease' because relatively little effort has been applied to finding cures, leishmaniasis kills more than 150,000 people every year and debilitates millions more. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also called Kala Azar (KA) or black fever in India, claims around 20,000 lives every year. Whole genome analysis presents an excellent means to identify new targets for drug...