Tackling Drug Resistance and Other Causes of Treatment Failure in Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a tropical infectious disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania parasite. The transmitted female sand flies and, depending on infecting parasite species, causes either cutaneous (stigmatizing skin lesions), mucocutaneous (destruction of mucous membranes nose, mouth and throat) or visceral (a potentially fatal infection liver, spleen bone marrow). Although more than 1 million new cases occur annually, chemotherapeutic options are limited their efficacy jeopardized increasing treatment failure rates growing drug resistance. To delay emergence resistance to existing drugs, elucidating currently unknown variable (related susceptibility, host immunity pharmacokinetics) improved use genotypic phenotypic tools define, measure monitor in field critical. This review highlights recent progress our understanding action , ongoing challenges (including setbacks related COVID-19 pandemic) provides an overview possible strategies tackle this public health challenge.