Leishmania infantum
Leishmania infantum
Taxonomy
- Phylum Euglenozoa
- Class kinetoplasta
- Order Trypanosomatida
- Family Trypanosomatidae
- Genus Leishmania
Final host
Human, dog, fox, wild canids, rodents (vertebrate host)
Morphology
Amastigotes (≈ 2-4 µm) are ovoid organisms within the macrophage (and other cells of the reticuloendothelial system) and possess a rod-shaped kinetoplast associated with a rudimentary flagellum Promastigotes are elongated organisms (≈ 15 µm long) and have a kinetoplast associated with a flagellum at the front end of the body
Cycle
Indirec (vectorial transmission) Vectors: sand flies Psicodidae (Phlebotomus, Lutzomyia)
Location
Macrophages and other cells of the reticuloendothelial system
Feeding
Saprozoic
Diagnostic
Amastigotes within macrophages
and other cells of the reticuloendothelial system
Transmission
Metacyclic Promastigote
