STUDIES ON CUTANEOUS AND VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IN MEXICO

Abstract

This chapter provides details of studies on cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in Mexico. Endemic zones are found in the South Eastern part of Mexico in areas with evergreen tropical forest. It has been studied that cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala differs clinically from other cutaneous leishmaniasis as it tends to spontaneous cure in few months when it is found in different parts of the body with the exception of the ears. Due to the lack of other human cases besides those diagnosed, it is deduced that the infection is maintained naturally as a zoonosis. At present, research is being carried out to find kala azar in dogs, wild carnivores, and wild rodents. Complement-fixation tests are made on the blood; spleen and blood cultures are performed; smears and histological sections of skin and spleen are examined for the parasite. The results show that a cured infection protects from re-infection. Re-infections do occur in six to twenty years after the initial lesion has healed.