Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects 12 million people worldwide. The disease has high morbidity and mortality rates and is prevalent in over 80 countries, leaving more than 300 million people at risk of infection. Of all of the manifestations of this disease, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form and it presents as ulcerating skin lesions that can self-heal or become chronic, leading to disfiguring scars. This review focuses on the different pathologies and disease manifestations of CL, as well as their varying degrees of severity. In particular, this review will discuss self-healing localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), leishmaniasis recidivans (LR), mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL), anergic diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (ADCL), disseminated leishmaniasis (DL), and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), which is a cutaneous manifestation observed in some visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients after successful treatment. The different clinical manifestations of CL are determined by a variety of factors including the species of the parasites and the host’s immune response. Specifically, the balance between the pro and anti-inflammatory mediators plays a vital role in the clinical presentation and outcome of the disease. Depending upon the immune response, Leishmania infection can also transition from one form of the disease to another. In this review, different forms of cutaneous Leishmania infections and their immunology are described.

Highlights

  • Leishmaniasis is one of the 17 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020; World Health Organization 2021a)

  • This review describes in detail different clinical forms of cutaneous Leishmania infections and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), with a special focus on the unique immunological signatures that are associated with these diseases

  • An exaggerated immune polarization, either towards a Th1 or Th2, leads to the development of a more severe disease, which is the case for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) and anergic diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (ADCL), respectively

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Summary

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Of all of the manifestations of this disease, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form and it presents as ulcerating skin lesions that can self-heal or become chronic, leading to disfiguring scars. This review will discuss self-healing localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), leishmaniasis recidivans (LR), mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL), anergic diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (ADCL), disseminated leishmaniasis (DL), and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), which is a cutaneous manifestation observed in some visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients after successful treatment. The different clinical manifestations of CL are determined by a variety of factors including the species of the parasites and the host’s immune response. Depending upon the immune response, Leishmania infection can transition from one form of the disease to another. Different forms of cutaneous Leishmania infections and their immunology are described

INTRODUCTION
Geographical location
MUCOCUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS
South Asia
General Immune Response
Immunology of South Asian PKDL
Immunology of African PKDL
Findings
CONCLUSION AND FINAL REMARKS

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