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Chapter 51 - Leishmaniasis

from Section 7 - Protozoal Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Eduard E. Zijlstra  and
Ahmed M. Musa
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

The leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania which belongs to the order of Kinetoplastidae. Infection affects the skin and mucosal surfaces, causes disseminated disease or a combination. The geographic distribution, clinical manifestations and prevalence of each form of the disease are the result of an intricate interplay between a particular strain of Leishmania, the susceptibility of the population, the presence of a reservoir and the sand fly vector; socioeconomic factors, changes in climate and ecology and population movements all play a role. Given these relationships, a One Health approach should be advocated (Hong et al. 2020). Worldwide 88 countries are affected with a global annual incidence of 0.7–1 million new cases annually, of which 0.6–1 million are cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases and 50,000–90,000 are visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases.

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Chapter
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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 503 - 518
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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