Kala-azar

Kala-azar
A chronic and potentially fatal parasitic disease of the viscera (the internal organs, particularly the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes) due to infection by the parasite called Leishmania donovani. Leishmania donovani, the agent of kala-azar, is transmitted by sandfly bites in parts of Asia (primarily India), Africa (primarily Sudan) and South America (primarily Brazil) where all together there are an estimated half million cases per year. There are also several hundred cases yearly in Europe (primarily in the Mediterranean region) and a few in North America. Kala-azar can cause no or few symptoms but typically it is associated with fever, loss of appetite (anorexia), fatigue, enlargement of the liver, spleen and nodes and suppression of the bone marrow. Kala-azar also increases the risk of other secondary infections. The first oral drug found to be effective for treating kala-azar is miltefosine. The term "kala-azar" comes from India where it is the Hindi for black fever. The disease is also known as Indian leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis, leishmania infection, dumdum fever, black sickness, and black fever. The name "Leischmania donovani" honors two men: the British pathologist William Boog Leishman who in 1903 wrote about the protozoa that causes kala-azar and the researcher C. Donovan, who made the same discovery independently the same year.

* * *

kala-azar .käl-ə-ə-.zär, .kal- n a severe parasitic disease chiefly of Asia marked by fever, progressive anemia, leukopenia, and enlargement of the spleen and liver and caused by a flagellate of the genus Leishmania (L. donovani) that is transmitted by the bite of sand flies and proliferates in reticuloendothelial cells called also dumdum fever see LEISHMAN-DONOVAN BODY

* * *

n.
a tropical disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Leishmania. The parasite, which is transmitted to humans by sandfly, invades the cells of the lymphatic system, spleen, and bone marrow. Symptoms include enlargement and subsequent lesions of the liver and spleen; anaemia; a low leucocyte count; weight loss; and irregular fevers. The disease occurs in Asia, South America, the Mediterranean area, and Africa. Drugs containing antimony, with supplementary pentamidine, are used in the treatment of this potentially fatal disease.

* * *

ka·la-azar (kahґlah-ah-zahrґ) [Hindi, “black fever”] visceral leishmaniasis.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • kala-azar — [ kalaazar ] n. m. • 1909; mot indien de l Assam, « maladie (azar) noire (kala) » ♦ Méd. Maladie grave provoquée par un protozoaire parasite, la leishmania. Kala azar asiatique. ⇒ leishmaniose. ● kala azar nom masculin Synonyme de leishmaniose… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • kala-azar — m. parasit. Enfermedad parasitaria causada por protozoos del género Leishmania. El protozoo es transmitido a través de la picada de mosquitos del género Flebotomo. La enfermedad se caracteriza por una fiebre irregular y prolongada, un aumento del …   Diccionario médico

  • kala azar — or visceral leishmaniasis [kä΄lä ä zär′] n. 〚Hindi kālā āzār, lit., black disease〛 an infectious disease, a type of leishmaniasis, that occurs in subtropical or tropical areas, caused by a protozoan parasite (Leishmania donovani) transmitted by… …   Universalium

  • kala azar — or visceral leishmaniasis [kä΄lä ä zär′] n. [Hindi kālā āzār, lit., black disease] an infectious disease, a type of leishmaniasis, that occurs in subtropical or tropical areas, caused by a protozoan parasite (Leishmania donovani) transmitted by… …   English World dictionary

  • Kala-Azar — Leishmaniose viscérale Pour les articles homonymes, voir LV. La leishmaniose viscérale (LV), également connue sous le nom de kala azar, ou de fièvre noire, est la forme la plus grave de leishmaniose. Il s agit d une maladie causée par un parasite …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kala azar — Leishmaniose viscérale Pour les articles homonymes, voir LV. La leishmaniose viscérale (LV), également connue sous le nom de kala azar, ou de fièvre noire, est la forme la plus grave de leishmaniose. Il s agit d une maladie causée par un parasite …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kala-Azar — Eine Leishmaniose (engl. Leishmaniasis) ist eine weltweit bei Mensch und Tier vorkommende Infektionserkrankung, die durch obligat intrazelluläre protozoische Parasiten der Gattung Leishmania hervorgerufen wird. Das Verbreitungsgebiet sind die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kala Azar — Eine Leishmaniose (engl. Leishmaniasis) ist eine weltweit bei Mensch und Tier vorkommende Infektionserkrankung, die durch obligat intrazelluläre protozoische Parasiten der Gattung Leishmania hervorgerufen wird. Das Verbreitungsgebiet sind die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kala-Azar — viszerale Leishmaniose; Dum Dum Fieber * * * Kala Azar   [Hindi »schwarze Krankheit«] die, , schwere tropische Infektionskrankheit, Form der Leishmaniasen. * * * Kạ|la Azạr, die; [Hindi kālā āzār = schwarze Krankheit, wegen der schwärzlich… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kala-Azar — Ka|la Azar die; <aus Hindi kala azar »schwarze Krankheit«, wegen der schwärzlich pigmentierten Haut des Erkrankten> eine schwere tropische Infektionskrankheit, die mit Fieber, Schwellung von Leber u. Milz u. allgemeinem Kräfteverfall… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”