The neglected tropical disease known as leishmaniasis is really more of a collection of diseases caused by a variety of parasites transmitted through the bite of a diversity of sandfly species. Sounds a bit complicated? You’re not wrong. But have no fear. Because in this episode, we walk you through the ins and outs of leishmaniasis. From the biology of visceral vs cutaneous vs mucocutaneous leishmaniasis to the archaeological and modern history of these parasites, we give you the basics on one of the most globally prevalent parasitic infections.
| History | Biology |
| Kiple, Kenneth F., and H. Micheal Tarver. The Cambridge world history of human disease. Cambridge University Press, 1993. | Reithinger, R., Dujardin, J. C., Louzir, H., Pirmez, C., Alexander, B., & Brooker, S. (2007). Cutaneous leishmaniasis. The Lancet infectious diseases, 7(9), 581-596. |
| Kumar, Awanish. Leishmania and leishmaniasis. New York: Springer, 2013. | Hill, J. O. (1986). Pathophysiology of experimental leishmaniasis: pattern of development of metastatic disease in the susceptible host. Infection and immunity, 52(2), 364-369. |
| Akhoundi, Mohammad, et al. “A historical overview of the classification, evolution, and dispersion of Leishmania parasites and sandflies.” PLoS neglected tropical diseases 10.3 (2016): e0004349. | Guerin, P. J., Olliaro, P., Sundar, S., Boelaert, M., Croft, S. L., Desjeux, P., … & Bryceson, A. D. (2002). Visceral leishmaniasis: current status of control, diagnosis, and treatment, and a proposed research and development agenda. The Lancet infectious diseases, 2(8), 494-501. |
| Alvar, Jorge, Sergio Yactayo, and Caryn Bern. “Leishmaniasis and poverty.” Trends in parasitology 22.12 (2006): 552-557. | Alvar, J., Vélez, I. D., et al & WHO Leishmaniasis Control Team. (2012). Leishmaniasis worldwide and global estimates of its incidence. PloS one, 7(5), e35671. |
| Güran, Mümtaz. “An Overview of Leishmaniasis: Historic to Future Perspectives.” Vectors and Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases. IntechOpen, 2018. | GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet. 2016 Oct 8;388(10053):1545-1602. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31678-6. Erratum in: Lancet. 2017 Jan 7;389(10064):e1. |
| Killick-Kendrick, Robert. “The race to discover the insect vector of kala-azar: a great saga of tropical medicine 1903–1942.” Bulletin de la Société de pathologie exotique 106.2 (2013): 131-137. | GBD 2016 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017 Sep 16;390(10100):1211-1259. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32154-2. Erratum in: Lancet. 2017 Oct 28;390(10106):e38. |
| Leblois, Raphaël, et al. “Guns, germs and dogs: On the origin of Leishmania chagasi.” Infection, Genetics and Evolution 11.5 (2011): 1091-1095. | GBD 2016 DALYs and HALE Collaborators (2017). Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet (London, England), 390(10100), 1260–1344. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32130-X |
| Momen, Hooman, and Elisa Cupolillo. “Speculations on the origin and evolution of the genus Leishmania.” Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 95.4 (2000): 583-588. | Bailey, F., Mondragon-Shem, K., Hotez, P., Ruiz-Postigo, J. A., Al-Salem, W., Acosta-Serrano, A., & Molyneux, D. H. (2017). A new perspective on cutaneous leishmaniasis—Implications for global prevalence and burden of disease estimates. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 11(8), e0005739. |
| Okwor, Ifeoma, and Jude Uzonna. “Social and economic burden of human leishmaniasis.” The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 94.3 (2016): 489-493. | Bailey, F., Mondragon-Shem, K., Haines, L. R., Olabi, A., Alorfi, A., Ruiz-Postigo, J. A., … & Al-Salem, W. (2019). Cutaneous leishmaniasis and co-morbid major depressive disorder: A systematic review with burden estimates. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 13(2), e0007092. |
| Steverding, Dietmar. “The history of leishmaniasis.” Parasites & vectors 10.1 (2017): 82. | Sundar, S., & Singh, A. (2018). Chemotherapeutics of visceral leishmaniasis: present and future developments. Parasitology, 145(4), 481–489. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182017002116 |
| Tuon, Felipe Francisco, Vicente Amato Neto, and Valdir Sabbaga Amato. “Leishmania: origin, evolution and future since the Precambrian.” FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology 54.2 (2008): 158-166. | Ponte-Sucre, A., Gamarro, F., Dujardin, J. C., Barrett, M. P., López-Vélez, R., García-Hernández, R., … & Papadopoulou, B. (2017). Drug resistance and treatment failure in leishmaniasis: A 21st century challenge. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 11(12), e0006052. |
| Yanik, M., et al. “The psychological impact of cutaneous leishmaniasis.” Clinical and Experimental Dermatology: Clinical Dermatology 29.5 (2004): 464-467. | Gillespie, P. M., Beaumier, C. M., Strych, U., Hayward, T., Hotez, P. J., & Bottazzi, M. E. (2016). Status of vaccine research and development of vaccines for leishmaniasis. Vaccine, 34(26), 2992-2995. |
| Desjeux, P. (2001). The increase in risk factors for leishmaniasis worldwide. Transactions of the royal society of tropical medicine and hygiene, 95(3), 239-243. | |
| Singh, O. P., Hasker, E., Boelaert, M., & Sundar, S. (2016). Elimination of visceral leishmaniasis on the Indian subcontinent. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 16(12), e304–e309. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30140-2 | |
| Romero, G. A., & Boelaert, M. (2010). Control of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America—a systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 4(1), e584. | |
| González, C., Wang, O., Strutz, S. E., González-Salazar, C., Sánchez-Cordero, V., & Sarkar, S. (2010). Climate change and risk of leishmaniasis in North America: predictions from ecological niche models of vector and reservoir species. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 4(1), e585. | |
| Dantas-Torres, F. (2007). The role of dogs as reservoirs of Leishmania parasites, with emphasis on Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Veterinary parasitology, 149(3-4), 139-146. |
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