Risk factors for adverse prognosis and death in American visceral leishmaniasis: a meta-analysis.

Background: In the current context of high fatality rates associated with American visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the appropriate use of prognostic factors to identify patients at higher risk of unfavorable outcomes represents a potential tool for clinical practice. This systematic review brings together information reported in studies conducted in Latin America, on the potential predictors of adverse prognosis (continued evolution of the initial clinical conditions of the patient despite the implementation of treatment, independent of the occurrence of death) and death from VL. The limitations of the existing knowledge, the advances achieved and the approaches to be used in future research are presented.

Factors associated with visceral leishmaniasis in the americas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Still today, more than 30 years after the beginning of the process of visceral leishmaniasis' urbanization, there is little knowledge about the risk factors for its occurrence, despite their relevance to the control and understanding of disease dynamics. The present study is the first systematic review with meta-analysis about factors associated with Leishmania infantum infection in humans in the Americas.

Methods And Findings: After searching different databases, consultations to the reference lists of articles and to experts in the field, 51 studies were reviewed.

Study of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis areas in the central-western state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The transmission of Leishmania involves several species of sand flies that are closely associated with various parasites and reservoirs, with differing transmission cycles in Brazil. A study on the phlebotomine species composition has been conducted in the municipality of Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil, an endemic area for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), which has intense occurrence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. In order to study the sand flies populations and their seasonality, CDC light traps (HP model) were distributed in 15 houses which presented at least one case of CL or VL and in five urban parks (green areas).