leishmaniasis

noun

leish·man·i·a·sis ˌlēsh-mə-ˈnī-ə-səs

plural leishmaniases ˌlēsh-mə-ˈnī-ə-ˌsēz

: a parasitic disease chiefly of tropical and subtropical regions that is caused by a flagellate protozoan (genus Leishmania) which is transmitted by sand flies (genus Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia) and infects the macrophages of mammalian hosts

Worldwide, the leishmaniases are the third most important vector-borne disease (after malaria and sleeping sickness), accounting for an estimated 1.98 million disability-adjusted life-years and 57,000 deaths annually.

Richard Reithinger et al.

see also cutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Another experiment involving leishmaniasis was conducted in-house at NIAID in 2016.

Daniel Funke, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2021 DeepMind has established a partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative to develop approaches for Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

Katie Palmer, STAT, 22 July 2021 At issue is amphotericin B, which is marketed by Gilead Sciences (GILD) to combat cryptococcal meningitis in patients with HIV or visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease.

Ed Silverman, STAT, 28 June 2021 The collapse of insect-control programs sparked the spread of cutaneous leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that results in disfiguring skin ulcers.

Jerome Groopman, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2021 During conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, measles returned, along with kala-azar, another type of leishmaniasis, which attacks internal organs and is frequently fatal.

Jerome Groopman, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2021 Visceral leishmaniasis, the disease the parasite causes, leads to cutaneous sores on the skin, infections of organs including the spleen and liver and sometimes death.

Jim Daley, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2021 Visceral leishmaniasis is thought to kill between 20,000 to 40,000 people a year, says Christine Petersen, the director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa, who was not involved in the new study.

Jim Daley, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2021 There have been a number of open wounds, one case of leishmaniasis, some nasty insect bites and a car crash.

Daniel Glick, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'leishmaniasis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of leishmaniasis was in 1907

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Leishmaniasis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leishmaniasis. Accessed 27 Sep. 2022.

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Medical Definition

leishmaniasis

noun

leish·man·i·a·sis ˌlēsh-mə-ˈnī-ə-səs

plural leishmaniases -ˌsēz

: a parasitic disease chiefly of tropical and subtropical regions that occurs in cutaneous and systemic forms and is caused by a flagellate protozoan of the genus Leishmania which is transmitted by sand flies (genus Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia) and infects the macrophages of mammalian hosts

Richard Reithinger et al., Emerging Infectious Diseases

Leishmaniasis, caused by various species of Leishmania protozoa, can lethally enlarge the spleen and liver.

C. Brownlee, Science News

… the sandfly that transmits leishmaniases (a group of parasitic diseases) breeds in piles of refuse or in pit latrines …

Akin L. Mabogunje, Environment

see also cutaneous leishmaniasis, mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis