Is Leishmaniasis curable?

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the sandfly. The disease is called Kala-azar and can indeed be fatal! It presents with d+vs and then fatigue it may also present with destructive skin lesions.

Antimony-containing compounds are the principal medications used to treat leishmaniasis. These include:Meglumine antimonate,Sodium stibogluconate.Pentamidine and Amphotericin B are also used.

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There are two common therapies containing antimony, meglumine antimoniate (Glucantim庐) and sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam庐). It is not completely understood how these drugs act against the parasite; they may disrupt its energy production or trypanothione metabolism. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, the parasite has become resistant to antimony and for visceral or mucocutaneous leishmaniasis,[1] amphotericin is now the treatment of choice.

Miltefosine (Impavido庐), is a new drug for visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. The cure rate of miltefosine in phase III clinical trials is 95%; Studies in Ethiopia show that is also effective in Africa. In HIV immunosuppressed people which are coinfected with leishmaniasis it has shown that even in resistant cases 2/3 of the people responded to this new treatment. Clinical trials in Colombia showed a high efficacy for cutaneous leishmaniasis. In mucocutaneous cases caused by L.brasiliensis it has shown to be much better effective than other drugs. Miltefosine received approval by the Indian regulatory authorities in 2002 and in Germany in 2004. In 2005 it received the first approval for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. Miltefosine is also currently being investigated as treatment for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis in Colombia,[1] and preliminary results are very promising. It is now registered in many countries and is the first orally administered breakthrough therapy for visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis.[2](More, et al, 2003). In October 2006 it received orphan drug status from the US Food and Drug administration. The drug is generally better tolerated than other drugs. Main side effects are gastrointetinal disturbance in the 1-2 days of treatment which does not affect the efficacy. Because it is available as an oral formulation, the expense and inconvenience of hospitalisation is avoided, which makes it an attractive alternative.

The Institute for OneWorld Health has developed paromomycin, results with which led to its approval as an orphan drug. The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative is also actively facilitating the search for novel therapeutics.

Drug-resistant leishmaniasis may respond to immunotherapy (inoculation with parasite antigens plus an adjuvant) which aims to stimulate the body's own immune system to kill the parasite.[3]

Several potential vaccines are being developed, under pressure from the World Health Organization, but as of 2006 none is available. The team at the Laboratory for Organic Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Z眉rich are trying to design a carbohydrate-based vaccine [6]. The genome of the parasite Leishmania major has been sequenced,[4] possibly allowing for identification of proteins that are used by the pathogen but not by humans; these proteins are potential targets for drug treatments.

It can be treated, and so long as you get it early, it's all good.

Leishmania species are intracellular parasites that live within macrophages, but they can be gotten rid of.

Treatment is with sodium stibogluconate, meglumine antimonate or amphotericin B.

The leishmaniases 鈥?also known as Kala-azar - are caused by 20 species pathogenic for humans belonging to the genus Leishmania, a protozoa transmitted by the bite of a tiny 2 to 3 millimetre-long insect vector, the phlebotomine sandfly. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis. Most common is the skin form (cutaneous leishmaniasis), which causes scarring skin sores. The internal form (visceral leishmaniasis) affects internal organs and is the most serious form. Leishmaniasis exists in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and other places in the Middle East and poses a health risk. It is a curable disease. For the treatment of Leishmaniasis the currently used drugs are limited to four. The first line compounds are the two pentavalent antimonials, sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) and meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime). If these drugs are not effective, the second line compounds of pentamidine (Lomidine) and amphotericine B (Fungizone) are used. There are experimental drugs being used in clinical trials and they are: Allopurinol which leads to the inhibition of protein synthesis in the parasite. Ambisome owing to the high capacity of macrophages, the host cell of the Leishmania parasite, for phagocytosis the drug is specifically targeted and taken up by these cells. And Ketaconazole which inhibits sterol synthesis in Leishmania and interferes with its growth and division intracellular amastigotes
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Matador 89

If you know anything of this particular thing then you also know how to look up the answer on the web. Most everyone would have to also look it up to give you an answer.

I should think if you can pronounce it you are halfway there !