LEISHMANIASIS

Leishmaniasis is a protozoan disease whose diverse clinical manifestat ions are dependent both on the infecting species of Leishmania and on the immune response of the host. Transmission of the disease occurs th rough the bite of a sand fly infected with Leishmania parasites. Infec tion may be restricted to the skin in cutaneous leishmaniasis, Limited to the mucous membranes in mucosal leishmaniasis, or spread throughou t the reticuloendothelial system in visceral leishmaniasis or kala aza r. Three rare clinical variants of cutaneous leishmaniasis include dif fuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, leishmaniasis recidivans, and post-kala- azar dermal leishmaniasis.