Against Leishmaniasis

A European Small-Scale Project supported through the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

What is Leishmaniasis?

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly (subfamily Phlebotominae). Human infection is caused by about 21 of the 30 known species of Leishmania, and clinical syndromes varies from cutaneous (CL), ranging from self-healing lesions to diffuse or recidivist to disfiguring muco-cutaneous (ML) or usually fatal and more progressive visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, the most severe and chronic form of leishmaniasis.