American leishmaniasis

leishmaniasis /leish·ma·ni·a·sis/ (lēsh″mah-ni´ah-sis) infection with Leishmania.

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American leishmaniasis  any of the types of cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis occurring in South America, Central America, or Mexico.

cutaneous leishmaniasis  an endemic granulomatous disease, divided into two forms: an Old World form caused by Leishmania major, L. tropica or L. aethiopica and a New World form caused by L. mexicana or L. viannia.

mucocutaneous leishmaniasis  chronic, progressive, metastatic spread of the lesions of New World leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania viannia braziliensis to the nasal, pharyngeal, and buccal mucosa long after the appearance of the initial cutaneous lesion, causing widespread destruction of tissue with marked deformity.

post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis  a condition associated with visceral leishmaniasis, characterized by hypopigmented or erythematous macules on the face and sometimes also the trunk and limbs, the facial lesions progressing to papules and nodules resembling those of lepromatous leprosy.

leishmaniasis reci´divans  a prolonged, relapsing form of cutaneous leishmaniasis resembling tuberculosis of the skin.

visceral leishmaniasis  a chronic, highly fatal if untreated, infectious disease caused by Leishmania donovani, characterized by hepatosplenomegaly, fever, chills, vomiting, anemia, leukopenia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and an earth-gray color of the skin.

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American leishmaniasis

n.

See mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.

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American leishmaniasis,

a group of infections caused by various species of the parasitic protozoa Leishmania of Central and South America, characterized by cutaneous lesions at the site of the sandfly bite and transmitting infection and causing disfiguring ulcerative lesions of the nose, mouth, and throat or visceral disease. Illness may be prolonged, rendering patients susceptible to serious secondary infections. Kinds of American leishmaniasis are chiclero ulcer, espundia, forest yaws, and uta. Also called mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, New World leishmaniasis. See also leishmaniasis.