ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis is a group of infectious diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, of which there are more than 20 species that affect humans. Several clinical syndromes are subsumed under the term leishmaniasis-visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis-which result from the replication of the parasite within macrophages in the mononuclear phagocyte system, dermis, and nasopharyngeal tissue, respectively. These parasitoses are widely distributed in all continents except in Antarctica, representing a grave problem for world health, as mobility and mortality are rising [1].
