Leishmania amazonensis

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Leishmania amazonensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Class: Kinetoplastea
Order: Trypanosomatida
Genus: Leishmania
Species:
L. amazonensis
Binomial name
Leishmania amazonensis
Lainson & Shaw, 1972

Leishmania amazonensis is a parasite responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. This species has been known to spread by using sandflies as its vector and a vertebrate as its primary host, just like other species of Leishmania. [1] They have also been known to spread throughout the Brazilian Amazon region due to their ecological niches needed for survival and reproduction.[ citation needed ] However, when the host is infected, the Leishmania can cause 3 different forms of Leishmaniasis. For this species, it has been known to cause cutaneous leishmaniasis and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is commonly characterized with skin lesions, which can appear localized, or throughout the body. While mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is characterized with ulcers around the skin, mouth, and nose. This form of Leishmaniasis has also been known to can spread by metastasis and can be deadly. [2]

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Phlebotomus papatasi is a species of insects commonly known as sandflies. Due to their ectothermic climate limitations, P. papatasi are confined to regions with temperatures above sixty degrees Fahrenheit for at least three months of the year, spanning over much of the European Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Around one thousand sandfly species have been described, belonging to the subfamily Phlebotominae within the family Psychodidae. The Psychodidae family belongs to the order Diptera within the class Insecta of the subphylum Hexapoda of the Arthropod phylum.

References

  1. Prevention, CDC - Centers for Disease Control and (18 February 2020). "CDC - Leishmaniasis - Biology".
  2. Prevention, CDC - Centers for Disease Control and (17 March 2023). "CDC - Leishmaniasis - Resources for Health Professionals".