Leishmaniasis

name: Leishmaniasis
creation_date: '2026-01-26T03:01:01Z'
updated_date: '2026-01-26T03:01:01Z'
category: Infectious Disease
description: >-
  Leishmaniasis is a protozoan infection caused by Leishmania parasites,
  transmitted by sand flies, with clinical forms including cutaneous,
  mucocutaneous, and visceral disease driven by intracellular amastigotes
  in macrophages.
disease_term:
  term:
    id: MONDO:0011989
    label: leishmaniasis
  preferred_term: Leishmaniasis
parents:
- Neglected tropical disease
- Protozoal infection
infectious_agent:
- name: Leishmania spp.
  infectious_agent_term:
    preferred_term: Leishmania <genus>
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:5658
      label: Leishmania <genus>
  description: Protozoan parasites causing leishmaniasis.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:19634705
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by various species of Leishmania"
    explanation: The review identifies Leishmania species as the cause of leishmaniasis.
agent_life_cycle:
  description: Leishmania alternate between promastigotes in sand flies and amastigotes in mammalian macrophages.
  hosts:
  - preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
    role: definitive host
  - preferred_term: sand fly
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:7198
      label: Phlebotominae
    role: intermediate host
  vectors:
  - sand flies (Phlebotominae)
  life_cycle_stages:
  - name: Promastigote stage in sand fly gut
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: promastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000151
        label: promastigote stage
    description: Motile promastigotes develop in the sand fly gut.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:10563394
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "the sandfly, where they grow as motile flagellated promastigotes in the gut"
      explanation: The abstract states promastigote growth in the sand fly gut.
  - name: Amastigote stage in macrophage phagolysosome
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: amastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000114
        label: amastigote stage
    description: Non-flagellated amastigotes survive and grow intracellularly in macrophages.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:10563394
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "the mammalian macrophage, where they survive and grow intracellularly as non-flagellated amastigotes in the phagolysosome"
      explanation: The abstract specifies intracellular amastigote growth in macrophages.
transmission:
- name: Sand fly blood meal transmission
  description: Female sand flies transmit Leishmania during blood feeding.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34345133
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "The transmission is from female sandfly through a blood meal."
    explanation: The abstract specifies sand fly blood-meal transmission.
has_subtypes:
- name: Visceral leishmaniasis
  subtype_term:
    preferred_term: visceral leishmaniasis
    term:
      id: MONDO:0005445
      label: visceral leishmaniasis
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:19634705
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "It manifests mainly in 3 clinical forms; visceral leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)"
    explanation: The review lists visceral leishmaniasis as a main clinical form.
- name: Cutaneous leishmaniasis
  subtype_term:
    preferred_term: cutaneous leishmaniasis
    term:
      id: MONDO:0005446
      label: cutaneous leishmaniasis
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:19634705
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "It manifests mainly in 3 clinical forms; visceral leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)"
    explanation: The review lists cutaneous leishmaniasis as a main clinical form.
- name: Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis
  subtype_term:
    preferred_term: mucocutaneous leishmaniasis
    term:
      id: MONDO:0005859
      label: mucocutaneous leishmaniasis
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:19634705
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "It manifests mainly in 3 clinical forms; visceral leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)"
    explanation: The review lists mucocutaneous leishmaniasis as a main clinical form.
pathophysiology:
- name: Intracellular amastigote replication in macrophages
  description: Promastigotes differentiate into amastigotes that multiply inside host macrophages.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: macrophage
    term:
      id: CL:0000235
      label: macrophage
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:33968798
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Inside vertebrate host macrophages, the parasites can differentiate into the amastigote form and multiply"
    explanation: The abstract describes amastigote differentiation and replication in macrophages.
phenotypes:
- name: Cutaneous ulcers
  category: Dermatologic
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Skin ulcer
    term:
      id: HP:0200042
      label: Skin ulcer
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:19634705
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Cutaneous leishmaniasis usually has milder course and often results into a self-healing of ulcers."
    explanation: The review notes self-healing ulcers in cutaneous leishmaniasis.
treatments:
- name: Liposomal amphotericin B therapy
  description: Liposomal amphotericin B is a standard therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in many regions.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: pharmacotherapy
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000058
      label: pharmacotherapy
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:30712769
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Liposomal amphotericin B is generally found to be safe and effective in most endemic regions of the world"
    explanation: The review describes liposomal amphotericin B as safe and effective.