More Sponsored Links For:
leishmaniasisColumbia Encyclopedia entry: leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasislēsh′mənī'əsĭs, any of a group of tropical diseases caused by parasitic protozoans of the genus Leishmania. The parasites live in dogs, foxes, rodents, and humans; they are transmitted by the bites of sand flies. There they infect the very white blood cells that normally would defend the body from such invaders. There are two forms of leishmaniasis. The more serious, called kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis, affects the internal organs, causing fever, anemia, splenomegaly, and discoloration of the skin. Untreated, it can be fatal. The second, or cutaneous form, leaves deep, disfiguring sores at the site of the bite. Treatment is with amphotericin B and other drugs. Leishmaniasis is rarely seen in the United States, but is prevalent in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of the Mediterranean.
The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Wikipedia search results for: Leishmaniasis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly. Two genera transmit Leishmania to humans: Lutzomyia in the New World and Phlebotomus in the Old World.
Most forms of the disease are transmissible only from animals, but some can be spread between humans. Human infection is caused by about 21 of 30 species that infect mammals. These include the L. donovani complex with three species ; the L. mexicana complex with 3 main species ; L. tropica; L. major; L. aethiopica; and the subgenus Vianni with...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: leishmaniasis
Results 1 - 2 of 2
- inflammation
Inflammation, reaction of the body to injury or to infectious, allergic, or chemical irritation. The symptoms are redness, swelling, heat, and pain resulting from dilation of the blood vessels...
- Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome, popular name for a variety of ailments experienced by veterans after the Persian Gulf War. Symptoms reported include nausea, cramps, rashes, short-term memory loss, fatigue,...
