ABSTRACT
DEFINITION AND CLINICAL FEATURES This is a localized cutaneous reaction to infection by the protozoon Leishmania which is transmitted by sandfly bites. It may cause cutaneous, mucosal, or visceral disease. Many species of Leishmania exist but most cases seen in travellers returning from tropical areas are due to L. tropica, L. major, and L. aethiopica. It is a disease of warm countries, occurring around the Mediterranean coast, North Africa, South America, central Asia, and China.
