Causal organism: Leishmania
Leishmania is a genus of trypanosomes that are responsible for the disease Leishmaniasis.
Multiple carriers
Animal reservoirs include
Almost 70 animal species have been found to act as the reservoir hosts of the parasite. Leishmanial infections may either be zoonotic (includes animal reservoir hosts) or anthroponotic (humans are the only source of parasite transmission to the vector). Animal reservoirs include humans (South East Asia and East Africa), foxes and dogs (Mediterranean basin), goats and cattle (South East Asia), hyraxes (East Africa) and rodents (North Africa and Eurasia) (WHO, 2017).
Types
Leishmania species are divided into 2 classes: Old World and New World
Species are divided into:
Old World found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and India which produces cutaneous or visceral disease
New World found in Central and South America which produces Cutaneous, Mucocutaneous, and Visceral disease.
New World Leishmania species
Title | Sub-class | Sub-sub-class | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. chagasi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. mexicana |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. pifanoi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. amazonensis |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. garnhami |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. venezuelensis |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. aristedesi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. forattinni |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. braziliensis |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. guyanensis |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. liansoni |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. peruviana |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. panamensis |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. naiffi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. shawi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Viannia | L. lindenbergi |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | Viannia | L. utingensis |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. herreri |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. hertigi |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. deanei |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. equatorensis |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. colombiensis |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. schaudinni |
Leishmania | Paraleishmania | - | L. monterogeii |
Old World Leishmania species
Title | Sub-class | Sub-sub-class | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. tropica |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. major |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. donovani |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. killicki |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. gerbilli |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. archibaldi |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. aethiopica |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. turanica |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. infantum |
Leishmania | Euleishmania | Leishmania | L. arabica |