Leishmania promastigotes
Morphological Characteristics
These parasites have a single nucleus and flagellum for motility. They are characterized by their elongated shape.
Identification Methods
Hosts generally have fever, weight loss, and enlarged spleen and liver. Microscopic examination of host tissue can identify the parasite.
LIFE CYCLE
- A sandfly takes a blood meal and injects the promastigote stage into human skin
- Cells ingest the protazoa promastigotes
- The promastigotes transform in amastigotes
- The amastigotes multiply in cells of various tissues and infect other cells
- A sandfly takes a blood meal from an infected human and ingests the amastigotes
- Amastigotes transform into promastigotes stage in the gut of the sandfly
- The promastigotes divide in the gut and then migrate to the part of the fly where they take blood meals from
HOST INFORMATION
- Poor housing and sanitary conditions increases breeding grounds for sandflies, increases risk for this disease
- Climate change has major effects on where vectors are distributed
- Fluctuations in temperature changes developmental cycle of Leishmania promastigotes in sandflies
- Insecticide is used to control number of sandflies
- Rodents act as reservoir hosts
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Most affected regions are tropics or sub tropics. Most cases are in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sudan, and Brazil.
SOURCES
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/leishmaniasis
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/leishmaniasis/biology.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/leishmania