Latent infection with Leishmania donovani in highly endemic villages in Bihar, India.

Introduction: Asymptomatic persons infected with the parasites causing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) usually outnumber clinically apparent cases by a ratio of 4-10 to 1. We describe patterns of markers of Leishmania donovani infection and clinical VL in relation to age in Bihar, India.

Methods: We selected eleven villages highly endemic for Leishmania donovani.