Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum infection in blood donors living in an endemic area, northeastern Italy

The Leishmania spp. protozoa are sandfly-borne intracellular parasites that are responsible for the leishmaniases, a complex of diseases with important clinical implication.1 In humans, the major clinical forms are cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, the latter being fatal if untreated. Most leishmanial infections remain asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals; for example, the ratio of subclinical to clinical cases of Leishmania infantum infection has been reported to be around 50:1 in Spain.
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research