Haemoflagellates

•Protozoa with flagellum

•Require two host to complete the life cycle
Vertebrate host- Blood & tissue
Insect host- Gut
•Pathogens of human & mammals
family- Trypanosomatidae
Genus- Leishmania
Trypanosoma
 Leishmania

Geographical distribution

World wide distribution (Endemic in 88 countries)

Diseases: Leishmaniasis
•Cutaneous leishmaniasis- Iran, Afghanistan,
Syria, Saudi arabia
•Visceral leishmaniasis: Bangladesh, India, Brazil
Leishmaniasis

•Vector born disease complex

•Causative organism belongs to genus leishmania
•Zoonotic disease
•Reservoir hosts: dogs, hyena, rats
•Disease transmitted by the bite of an infected
sand fly.
Genus
Phlebotomus
Lutzomyia

Man is an accidental or reservoir host.

Leishmania

Morphology
Has two distinct morphological forms
• Amastigote form
• Promastigote form
Amastigote form
• Oval in shape
• No flagella
• Only form that exist within the mammalian
host
• Live in monocytes/ macrophages
Promastigote form

•Flagellated
•Develop within the sand fly
•(Seen within sand fly and in vitro culture)
•Infective stage to mammals
Sand fly
In Sri Lanka

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is an established

endemic disease now.
The prevalent species is Leishmania donovani
Potential vectors- Phlebotomus argentipes
Plebotomus stantoni
•Prevalent in many parts of the country
• North, south & upcountries.
•Reported in soldiers & rebels living in the jungle
Pathogenesis

Leishmania multiply in the mononuclear

phagocytic system (Macrophages, monocytes ,epitheliod
cells, kupffer cells, Bone marrow, RE cells of spleen)

Granuloma formation

Healing - by fibrosis
Once the parasite is deposited on the skin

• it can be Killed by immune response &become

immune to re-infection

•Local infection is established till the immune

system eradicates it.

•Immune response is overwhelmed &

dissemination occur.