National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Leishmaniasis


Other Names:
Kala-azar; Visceral leishmaniasis (subtype); Cutaneous leishmaniasis (subtype)
Categories:
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis. The most common are cutaneous and visceral. The cutaneous type causes skin sores. The visceral type affects internal organs such as the spleen, liver and bone marrow. People with this form usually have fever, weight loss, and an enlarged spleen and liver. Visceral disease can be deadly without proper treatment. Leishmaniasis is found in parts of the Middle East, Central America, South American, Asia, Africa, and southern Europe. Most of these countries are in the tropics and subtropics. It is possible but very unlikely to get this disease in the United States.[1]
Last updated: 7/6/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal bleeding
Bleeding tendency
0001892
Abnormal macrophage morphology 0004311
Abnormal oral mucosa morphology
Abnormality of lining of mouth
0011830
Hepatomegaly
Enlarged liver
0002240
Lymphadenopathy
Swollen lymph nodes
0002716
Night sweats 0030166
Pancytopenia
Low blood cell count
0001876
Papule 0200034
Recurrent fever
Episodic fever
Increased body temperature, episodic
Intermittent fever
[ more ] 		0001954
Rhinitis
Nasal inflammation
0012384
Skin plaque 0200035
Skin ulcer
Open skin sore
0200042
Splenomegaly
Increased spleen size
0001744
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Anemia
Low number of red blood cells or hemoglobin
0001903
Arthralgia
Joint pain
0002829
Elevated hepatic transaminase
High liver enzymes
0002910
Hypoalbuminemia
Low blood albumin
0003073
Increased circulating antibody level 0010702
Pallor 0000980
Weight loss 0001824
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Anorexia 0002039
Fatigue
Tired
Tiredness
[ more ] 		0012378
Leukopenia
Decreased blood leukocyte number
Low white blood cell count
[ more ] 		0001882
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelet count
0001873
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

FDA-Approved Treatments

The medication(s) listed below have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as orphan products for treatment of this condition. Learn more orphan products.

  • Amphotericin B Liposomal (Brand name: AmBisome®) - Manufactured by Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
    FDA-approved indication: Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.
    National Library of Medicine Drug Information Portal
  • miltefosine (Brand name: Impavido) - Manufactured by Paladin Therapeutics, Inc.
    FDA-approved indication: Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania donovani; cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania guyanensis, and Leishmania panamensis; and mucosal leishmaniasis due to Leishmania braziliensis.
    National Library of Medicine Drug Information Portal

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.
  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Leishmaniasis. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • You can obtain information on this topic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is recognized as the lead federal agency for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
  • DermNet NZ is an online resource about skin diseases developed by the New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated. DermNet NZ provides information about this condition.
  • MedlinePlus was designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, and it provides more information about this topic.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Leishmaniasis. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Leishmaniasis. MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leishmaniasis.html. Accessed 7/6/2011.