A Novel Field-Deployable Point-of-Care Diagnostic Test for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Background. Leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan Leishmania and is generally transmitted by the bite of sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia or Phlebotomus, The disease has significant global impact, producing 10-20 million cases of leishmaniasis worldwide. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is characterized by chronic skin ulcers that can impact the individuals functional status, lead to expensive and untimely treatment, and result in disfiguring scarring. Leishmaniasis causes a spectrum of diseases that include localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), and destructive nasal and oropharyngeal lesions of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML). LCL in the New World is most commonly caused by species of the Viannia subgenus (L. braziliensis, L. panamensis, L. guyanensis, L. peruviana) and to a lesser extent by species of the Leishmania subgenus (L. mexicana, L. amazonensis). Historically, the leishmaniases have had significant impact on military operations. Thousands of cases of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred in soldiers in World Wars I and II. Military training and combat operations resulted in cases of CL in soldiers (USA, UK) deployed to Central America. More recently (2003-2004), CL was reported in almost 1,200 members of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the infection is an ongoing concern in the OEF/OIF veteran population. Unpublished information indicates that the number of military personnel with cutaneous leishmaniasis could exceed 3,000. Rationale. A major challenge in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis is that the disease occurs in remote and resource-limited areas of the world with poor or inexistent primary health infrastructure. This also could be true during military field operations and training exercises where sophisticated laboratory equipment and medical personnel are scarce or not available.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1050873

Entities

People

  • Bruno Travi
  • Danett K. Bishop
  • Robert V. Gerbasi

Organizations

  • Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biomedical Research
  • Central America
  • Combat Operations
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Filter Paper
  • Infection
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Laboratory Equipment
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Training
  • Paper
  • Point-Of-Care Diagnostic Testing
  • Research Facilities
  • Standards

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

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  • Vector-Borne Disease and Entomology