Leishmania
| Leishmania | |
|---|---|
| L. donovani in bone marrow cell | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Discoba |
| Phylum: | Euglenozoa |
| Class: | Kinetoplastea |
| Order: | Trypanosomatida |
| Family: | Trypanosomatidae |
| Genus: | Leishmania Ross, 1903 |
| Species | |
|
L. aethiopica | |
Leishmania (/liːʃˈmeɪniə, -ˈmæn-/) is a genus of parasitic protozoans, single-celled eukaryotic organisms of the trypanosomatid group that are responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. The parasites are transmitted by sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus in the Old World, and of the genus Lutzomyia in the New World. There are 53 species and about 20 of them are responsible for human infections. They are transmitted by around 100 species of sandflies. The primary hosts are vertebrates. They commonly infect hyraxes, canids, rodents, and humans.