| Leishmania infantum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Several Leishmania infantum amastigotes in a bone marrow smear from a naturally infected dog | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Discoba |
| Phylum: | Euglenozoa |
| Class: | Kinetoplastea |
| Order: | Trypanosomatida |
| Family: | Trypanosomatidae |
| Genus: | Leishmania |
| Species: | L. infantum |
| Binomial name | |
| Leishmania infantum Nicolle, 1908 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Leishmania infantum is a parasitic protozoan [2] and the causative agent of infantile visceral leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean region [1] and in Latin America, where it has been called Leishmania chagasi. [3] [4] It is also an unusual cause of cutaneous leishmaniasis, [5] which is normally caused by specific lineages (or zymodemes). Wild canids and domestic dogs are the natural reservoir of this organism. [6] The sandfly species Lutzomyia longipalpis serves as the primary vector for the transmission of the disease. [7]
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Leishmania infantum is closely related to Leishmania donovani , and some authors believe that these two species are so close as to actually be subspecies of each other; [8] however, phylogenetic analyses can easily distinguish between the two groups despite no difference in morphology in the species complex. Some isolates formerly labelled L. donovani may be actually L. infantum. [3] [9]
