Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
06:57
In Vivo Infection with Leishmania amazonensis to Evaluate Parasite Virulence in Mice
Published on: February 20, 2020
Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar): challenges ahead
R K Singh1, H P Pandey, S Sundar
1Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi, India. rakeshbhu@yahoo.com
The Indian Journal of Medical Research
|June 17, 2006
Summary
Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a parasitic disease, affects thousands annually, predominantly in Bihar. Advanced diagnostics and treatments are crucial due to drug resistance and limited understanding of disease mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Medical Parasitology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe parasitic disease caused by Leishmania donovani, transmitted by Phlebotomus argentipes sand flies.
- India reports approximately 100,000 annual VL cases, with Bihar accounting for over 90%.
- Current diagnosis relies on microscopy, but serological and molecular methods offer better alternatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current landscape of visceral leishmaniasis in India.
- To highlight challenges in diagnosis and treatment, including drug resistance.
- To emphasize the need for technological advancements in understanding disease pathogenesis and immune response.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on Indian visceral leishmaniasis.
- Analysis of diagnostic methods, including microscopy, serology, and molecular techniques.
- Examination of current and alternative treatment strategies and emerging drug resistance.
Main Results:
- Pentavalent antimony complexes remain the primary treatment, despite increasing resistance.
- Alternative treatments include amphotericin B, lipid formulations, paromomycin, and miltefosine.
- Significant gaps exist in understanding immune response, drug resistance, and pathogenesis.
Conclusions:
- There is an urgent need for improved, field-applicable, and affordable diagnostic and treatment methods for VL in India.
- Further research into Leishmania pathogenesis and host-parasite interactions is essential.
- Technological advancements are critical for effective control and management of visceral leishmaniasis.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
01:21Antiprotozoal Agents
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...