A parasitic disease caused by different species of the genus <i>Leishmania</i>, transmitted through the bite of hematophagous female phlebotomine sand flies. The clinical spectrum ranges from asymptomatic to clinically overt disease which can remain localized to the skin or disseminate to the upper oral and respiratory mucous membranes or throughout the reticulo-endothelial system. Three main clinical syndromes have been described: visceral (or Kala-Azar; with fever, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly), cutaneous, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (cutaneous or mucocutaneous ulceration).
An organ or organ-system abnormality that consists of uncontrolled autonomous cell-proliferation which can occur in any part of the body as a benign or malignant neoplasm (tumour).
Visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised hosts.
Fernandez-Guerrero ML, Aguado JM, Buzon L, Barros C, Montalban C, Martin T, Bouza E. Am J Med. 1987;83(6):1098-102.
In a series of 10 patients with visceral leishmaniasis complicating renal transplantation (three), hematologic neoplasms (two), systemic lupus erythematosus (two), or infection with human immunodeficiency virus (three), typical hallmarks of kalaazar such as enlargement of spleen or hyperglobulinemia were absent in three and six patients, respectively.
