Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar is one of the most commonly neglected tropical diseases affecting a large number of rural and resource-limited people in South Asia, Africa, and South America. Paromomycin, an aminoglycoside drug, is frequently used for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Despite limited therapies for visceral leishmaniasis and emerging drug resistance, a proper review on the action of paromomycin for kala-azar is lacking. This systematic review aims to look for the efficacy and safety aspects of paromomycin for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.
Highlights
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) commonly known as kala-azar is characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia [1]. e disease is primarily caused by protozoan parasite of species Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum, transmitted to humans by the bite of female sand fly, Phlebotomine
E recent 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) were responsible for 62 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), with 774,000 DALYs from leishmaniasis [4]
8 articles were included in this review, out of which 7 were randomized controlled trials and one was a cross-sectional study (Hassan et al.). e studies covered a total of 2225 participants, out of which 1725 participants were treated with paromomycin
Summary
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) commonly known as kala-azar is characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia [1]. e disease is primarily caused by protozoan parasite of species Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum, transmitted to humans by the bite of female sand fly, Phlebotomine. Leishmaniasis is considered one of the most neglected diseases due to its strong association with poverty and limited resources invested in new tools and technologies for the diagnosis, treatment, and control [2, 3]. Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in 79 countries, mainly in the regions of the Indian subcontinent, East Africa, and South America. As per the WHO database till January 2021, more than 90% of global VL cases were reported from eight countries: Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan [8]. In South America, 97% of the VL cases concentrated in Brazil. There has been a geographic expansion of the disease into neighboring countries leading to rise in imported cases in Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay [9]
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