New World Vectors of the Leishmaniases

Abstract

The leishmaniases are a group of enzootic and zoonotic diseases caused by morphologically similar parasites in the genus Leishmania (Protozoa: Trypanosomatidae). Mammal reservoirs, of which there are many species (76), may or may not show signs of infection (24, 52, 71). Furthermore, some of the leishmanial species are host-specific and have not been reported in humans (e.g., Le. hertigi of porcupines). Those species that infect man cause an estimated 400,000 new cases each year throughout the world (178). Clinical symptoms of cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral disease in man vary considerably, depending on the species of Leishmania, immunological responses of the individual, and other factors (178). Putative vectors of these diseases are sand flies in the genera Lutzomyia (New World) and Phlebotomus (Old World), but incrimination of specific vectors and mammal reservoirs remains undetermined in many foci (66).