[Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) on Ilha de São Luís, Maranhão. Brazil: its evolution and outlook]

Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) was definitively an important disease of the state of Maranhão, Brasil since 1982. Since of then, many authors have been working with this topic in spite of reports. Nevertheless, the aspects of diagnosis, treatment an control of cure went through still hard worried the authors have been studying the disease, that came at São Luís Island since of the destabilization of the ecotopes of Lutzomya longipalpis, most important sandflies bites. After 1993 the constatation of cases with bad response to pentavalent antimonial (Glucantime) comes to add the other worries. This actual trial accost the disease and conclude about an existence of failures to Glucantime being important to have much vigilance in the diagnosis, treatment and control of cure of the patients.