leishmania

American  

[leesh-man-ee-uh, -mey-nee-uh, lahysh-] / liʃˈmæn i ə, -ˈmeɪ ni ə, laɪʃ- /

noun

1. any parasitic flagellate protozoan of the genus Leishmania, occurring in vertebrates in an oval or spherical, nonflagellate form, and in invertebrates in an elongated, flagellated form.

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leishmania British  

/ liːʃˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

1. any parasitic flagellate protozoan of the genus Leishmania : infects humans and animals and causes diseases ranging from skin lesions to potentially fatal organ damage

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Other Word Forms

• leishmanial adjective
• leishmanic adjective
• leishmanioid adjective

Etymology

Origin of leishmania

< New Latin (1903), after William Boog Leishman (1865–1926), Scottish bacteriologist; -ia

Example Sentences

Caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania, which is transmitted to humans by the simple bite of a sand fly, leishmaniasis comprises three clinical forms, of which the visceral form is the most serious.

From Science Daily

"If we can figure out how to direct this new lymphocyte population to differentiate into a protective effector cell, it could help the host get rid of the Leishmania parasite."

From Science Daily

Over 90 sandfly species are known to transmit Leishmania parasites that are spread to humans through being bitten, but Lutzomyia longipalpis is themajor carrier of the disease in South America.

From Science Daily

After giving mice chronic infections with Leishmania mexicana, the species that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in South, Central and North America, researchers used an unbiased mass spectrometry analysis of the lesions to identify molecules known to be associated with pain suppression.

From Science Daily

Cell-culture experiments in infected macrophages, the immune cells in which Leishmania parasites live, showed an increase in most, but not all, of the same changes as in the lesions.

From Science Daily