title: Clinical pleiomorphism in human leishmaniases, with special mention of asymptomatic infection.
abstract: This review gives an update of current knowledge on the clinical pleiomorphism of Leishmania, with a special emphasis on the case of asymptomatic carriage. The first part describes the numerous unusual expressions of the disease that occur besides the classic (visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous) forms of leishmaniases. The second part deals with progress in the understanding of disease outcome in humans, and the possible future approaches to improve our knowledge in the field. The third part highlights the role of the too often neglected asymptomatic carrier compartment. This group could be key to understanding infraspecific differences in virulence and pathogenicity of the parasite, as well as identifying the genetic determinants involved in the expression of the disease.
authors.affiliation: UMR MIVEGEC (IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université Montpellier, France. anne-laure.banuls@ird.fr
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bañuls
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pomares
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arevalo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fisa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hide
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058345:Asymptomatic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D060085:Coinfection / Q000469:parasitology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004285:Dogs; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005843:Geography; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D008322:Mammals; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence