infections
Leishmaniasis
Symptoms of Leishmaniasis
 the first symptom is usually a well-defined bump at the site of a sand fly bite. It typically appears after several weeks or months and contains parasites inside white blood cells known as macrophages. As the infection spreads, more bumps may appear near the initial bump. The initial bump slowly enlarges and often becomes an open sore, which may ooze or form a scab. The sores are usually painless and cause no other symptoms unless a secondary bacterial infection, characterised by redness in adjacent areas of the skin, pain, and sometimes fever, develops in them. The sores eventually heal on their own after several months but may persist for more than a year. They leave permanent scars similar to those due to burns. Rarely, sores appear on skin all over the body. When this happens, the person is Diagnosis and other causes of a Inmucosal leishmaniasis,symptoms begin with a skin sore that heals on it own. Sores and tissue destruction may appear on mucous membranes inside the nose, mouth, or throat while the skin sore is present or months to years after it heals. The first sign may be a stuffy nose, a discharge from the nose, or nosebleeds. Over time, people may be severely disfigured. may start suddenly but usually develops gradually over weeks to months after the infecting sand fly bite. People may have irregular bouts of fever. They may lose weight, have diarrhea, and be generally tired. The liver, spleen, and sometimes lymph nodes enlarge. The number of blood cells decreases, causing Overview of Anemia and making people more susceptible to other infections. Without treatment, visceral leishmaniasis can result in death. People who respond to treatment and those who are infected but do not have symptoms are unlikely to have symptoms later unless their immune system is weakened (for example, by AIDS or by medications that are used to suppress the immune system, such as those used to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ). After treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, patches or lumps (nodules) may appear on the skin as other symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis go away. When sand flies bite people who have these areas of abnormal skin, the flies become infected and can thus spread the infection. Whether patches and lumps appear after treatment and how long they last depend on the geographic location where people were infected: The Sudan (located south of the Sahara) in Africa: The patches and lumps typically remain a few months to a year. India and nearby countries: The patches and lumps can last years. Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America: Patches and lumps do not appear on the skin after treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. In people with AIDS, visceral leishmaniasis often recurs, and cutaneous leishmaniasis can cause sores all over the body. 