What is Leishmaniasis?

leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania . Leishmaniosis affects the skin, mucosal membranes and internal organs. Leishmaniasis is also called Sandfly's disease , dum-dum fever , espundia and azar , which is Hindi for "black fever". It is relatively unknown in the developed world, but affects many poor countries.

leishmaniasis is caused by parasitic leishmania Protozoa. These parasites are transmitted by sand sucking blood. Once parasites are transmitted to people or animals through sand bite, the host's immune system attempts to consume protozoa with immune cells called macrophages . It usually beats the infection, but leishmania Protozoa is able to survive and multiply in macrophas. Finally, these macrophages tore, release protozoa and allow them to take over neighboring cells.

Leishmaniasis course takes this initial infection depends on the specificThe protozoa type and reaction causes the host's immune system. There are more than twenty varieties leishmania that can infect people.

There are four main forms of Leishmaniasis. located skin leishmaniasis is characterized by an itchy lesion on the arm or leg or face and possibly swollen lymph nodes in the same area. Within months, the pain develops a red raised edge and a central crater. He can heal himself or attack and destroy the surrounding tissue. diffuse skin leishmaniasis is similar, with the exception of lesions it spread throughout the body and resemble leprosy.

microcutane leishmaniasis begins with the type of ulcers that indicate localized skin leishmaniosis, but years after these lesions heal, new in the mouth and bears, or occasionally near the genitalia. The new ulcers are painful, erode basic tissue and are proneto bacterial infection. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss and anemia.

visceral leishmaniasis is the most serious form of illness. The lesions appear on the skin and the skin takes gray. Protozoa travels through the bloodstream to the liver, spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow. Weakness, diarrhea and weight loss are common.

leishmaniasis is treatable, but the existing drugs are expensive. The most common is the course of stibogloponing sodium or meglumin. In the development phases there are cheaper oral drugs and potential vaccines.

leishmaniasis primarily affects poor communities in isolated areas where it is susceptible to an epidemic. Is present in approximately 88 countries from Central and South America to West Asia; However, more than 90 percent of the cases of visceral leishmaniasis are in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal and Sudan. In Sudan, one epidemic lasted from 1984 to 1994 and required more than 100,000 lives.