L3: Leishmaniasis Flashcards
What is the definition of visceral leishmaniasis?
A chronic and potentially fatal parasitic disease of the viscera (particularly the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes) due to infection by Leishmania parasite . Also known as Kala-azar.
What is the definition of cutaneous leishmaniasis?
- Cutaneous form of the disease causes skin sores and is usually named for a geographic place (for example, Baghdad, Delhi sore)
What are the causative organisms of visceral leishmaniasis?
All species of Leishmania donovani complex cause visceral leishmaniasis and are distributed as:
- In old world:
- L. donovani: India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Central Africa and Sudan.
- L. infantum: Mediterranean area, Middle East and China. - In new world:
- L. chagasi: America (Central and South America).
What are the causitive organisms of cutaneous leishmaniasis?
L.Major
L.Athiopica
L.Tropica
What is the morphology of amastigote “leishman Donovan body” according to:
Site Size Shape Nucleus Flagellum Kinetoplast Significance
Site: typically intracellular in macrophages, In reticuloendothelial cells (RECs) all over the human body and reservoir host (vertebrate hosts),
Size: 2-3μ
Shape: ovoid
Nucleus: spherical nucleus (stain red with Giemsa)
Flagellum: Abscent
Kinetoplast: formed of
(a) parabasal body (rod-shaped, deep blue).
(b) Basal granule (blepharoplast), from which arises an intracytoplasmic axoneme (no free flagellum).
Significance: Diagnostic in biopsy
What is a morphology of promastigote acc to:
Site Size Shape Nucleus Flagellum Kinetoplast Significance
Site: In insect vector (invertebrate host) and culture.
Size: 4×12μ
Shape: fusiform (spindle-shaped)
Nucleus: central vesicular nucleus
Flagellum: anterior free flagellum
Kinetoplast: anterior kinetoplast (no undulating membrane)
Significance: infective stage
What is the habitat of visceral leishmaniasis?
- Leishmania amastigotes live intracellular in macrophages of reticuloendothelial ( R.E.S. )tissue., especially spleen, liver, bone marrow, intestinal mucosa and mesenteric lymph nodes.
What are other names of visceral Leishmanisis?
- Kala Azar
- Black fever
- Dum-Dum fever
What is the vector of visceral leishmaniasis?
- Female sand flies of the genus Phelebotomus in the old world, and Lutzomyia in the new world.
What is the reservoir host of visceral leishmaniasis?
Dogs, rodents, wild and domestic animals.
What is the infective stage of visceral leishmaniasis?
L.promastigotes.
- Site: sand fly gut.
What are the methods of infection by visceral leishmaniasis?
1- regurgitation of promastigotes into bite wound.
2- Rare modes: (by amastigotes):
(a) Blood transfusion.
(b) Transplacental.
(c) Accidental laboratory wound.
(d) Mechanical by blood sucking flies (e.g. Stomoxys).
How is visceral leishmaniasis transmitted?
Biological cyclo-propagation transmission
What is a diagnostic stage for visceral leishmaniasis?
- L. Amastigote (in tissue smear)
2. L. Promastigote (in culture typically arranged in rosettes)
How is visceral leishmaniasis treated?
Pentostam
What is the lifecycle of leishmania?
- Man acquires the infection when the infected female sand fly attempts a blood meal, where some of the promastigotes in the buccal cavity are regurgitated, and introduced into the skin bite by their motility.
- Promastigotes are phagocytosed by skin macrophages, where they metamorphose into amastigotes that reproduce by binary fission.
- Ruptured parasitized cells release large number of amastigotes into circulation
- Blood monocytes phagocytose the free amastigotes and carry them to the viscera, where they produce generalized infection of the RECs.
- Amastigotes in blood are taken by the female sand fly during blood meal.
- In the mid-gut of the sand fly, the amastigotes are metamorphosed into promastigotes and multiplied by binary fission (Cyclo-propagative development), until the lumen of the mid-gut is completely blocked.
- After 6-9 days, the promastigotes migrate to the pharynx which becomes blocked by the parasites, then to buccal cavity and proboscis.
- When blocked sand fly attempts subsequent blood meal, some of promastigotes are regurgitated, and introduced into the skin bite and the cycle is repeated.
“Just understand and write on your own words”
What is the pathogenesis and clinical picture of a visceral leishmaniasis?
” Fever + HS + Pan + DD + Skin”
- Fever
- Hepatosplenomegaly + generalized lymphadenopathy
- Pancytopenia
- Diarrhoea or dysentery
- Skin changes
What is the mechanism of pathogenicity in kala azar?
- Amastigotes multiply in macrophages (rupture + reinvasion) compensatory and reactive hyperplasia of R.E.Cs.
What are the characteristics of fever in visceral leishmaniasis?
intermittent (40 c, 2 peaks in one day).
What are the characteristics of pancytopenia in visceral leishmaniasis?
(aplastic anaemia + leucopenia + thrombocytopenia).