Leishmaniasis - The Bite That Causes It All

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease which is spread by the bite of sand flies infected with the protozoa Leishmania Donovani. A visit to the beach always guarantees a couple of bites but some of those may turn out to be a deadly form of leishmaniasis. The most common forms of it are the cutaneous which characterized by soreness of the skin. Visceral leishmaniasis is much more dangerous and it acts deep in the body and affects some of the internal organs of the body like the spleen, liver, bone marrow. People affected with cutaneous leishmaniasis have sores which can change in size and color over a period of time and gets severe with lack of treatment or undiagnosed condition. At their acute stages it looks like volcano eruptions like a ring or a crater like appearance and color ranging from a harsh red to a yellow or orange.

Sand fly's are usually as harmful as a mosquito bite but potentially life threatening if they are infected with the parasite which causes the disease. As of now there has been vaccine developed to combat the disease. The sand flys get the parasite from biting rodents like rats and they act as an carrier agent transferring the parasite to the human body. It us usually abut a quarter of the size of a mosquito and is difficult to see. It is identifiable by the seven segmented body and long legs. They can jump to great heights of 40cms but usually attacks victims who are lying down and the bites are usually seen in clumps around the ankles. Hence it is virtually very rare to see a sand fly bite in the upper body. Sand flies are most active during the night time and the percentage of contracting an infection from a single infected sand fly is a hundred!

The bites start with itching and harsh red rashes which can be treated with anti-histamine creams. It is peculiar to note that only the female sand fly's bite humans to acquire proteins to complete the cycle of life. A good holiday at the beach may be fun and enjoyment except for a few scratchy bites over the body but it might turn out to be a frisky holiday with a lot of painful hospital visits.

It is best to visit the beach in the middle of the morning or sometime during the noon because before that the mites would be active. It is best not to visit the beach after immediate showers when the sand fly's are extremely agitated and might launch at anyone in the vicinity. A good insect repellent cream will save you the cost of treatment and care and also from a bunch of ugly scars. The social isolation and outcast effect which can occur from the seriously disfiguring scars and flesh infection can cause vast psychological problems.

While Leishmaniasis is not as widely known as a killer disease like malaria, it is equally painful and dangerous as malaria or dengue. Other protozoan parasites which the sand flys may carry are pappataci fever and carrions disease.