Leishmaniases: From Clinical Presentation, to Pathogenesis and Basic Science
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2025) | Viewed by 2282
Special Issue Editor
Interests: leishmania infantum; visceral leishmaniasis; pathogenesis; immunology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Most patients with viscerotropic Leishmania species do not develop visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar disease. However, the disease is lethal if not treated quickly and adequately. Transmission occurs from bites from a species of sandfly. Host immunity status, including whether they are suffering from AIDS and using drug immunosuppression, their sex and genetic background, and sandfly-related factors, seem to modulate susceptibility to infection. Disease severity and mortality are mediated by Leishmania virulence factors that must be precisely identified. Patients develop a protracted course of disease with fever, anemia, wasting, hepatosplenomegaly, generalized edema, jaundice, diarrhea, and other signs and symptoms. Laboratory changes include neutropenia, lymphocytopenia, a low platelet count, low albumin, high gammaglobulins, elevated C-reactive proteins, and a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate. HIV is a common risk factor, but the interaction of both pathogens is not well known. Hemorrhages are likely due to disseminated intravascular coagulation, and bacterial infections seem to result from a process known as immunoparalysis. Understanding these factors may help uncover the pathogenic basis of many infectious diseases and may help find new treatment opportunities for these diseases to avoid fatalities.
Prof. Dr. Carlos Henrique Nery Costa
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- leishmania infantum
- leishmania donovani
- visceral leishmaniasis
- kala-azar
- hemorrhages
- HIV
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