Table 1.
Kinetoplastid diseases in humans
| Disease | Causative pathogen | Major symptoms | Vector | Endemic regions | Prevalence | Disability-adjusted life years | Years of life lost (estimate for 2019) | Years lived with disability (estimate for 2019) | Deaths per year120 | Treatments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human African trypanosomiasis | Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense | 1st stage: fever, headache, enlarged lymph nodes, joint pain, itching. 2nd stage: confusion, sensory, coordination and sleep cycle disturbance | Tsetse fly | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3,800 | 83,000 | 82,000 | 1,000 | 1,400 | Pentamidine (stage 1, T. b. gambiense); suramin (stage 1, T. b. rhodiense); nifurtimox–eflornithine combination therapy, fexinidazole (acoziborole in late-stage clinical trials), melarsoprol (stage 2, T. b. gambiense); melarsoprol (stage 2, T. b. rhodesiense) |
| Chagas disease | Trypanosoma cruzi | Acute phase: asymptomatic or mild; fever, occasionally swelling at site of inoculation. Chronic phase: cardiac and digestive disorders, heart failure | Reduviid bug | South America. Now spread through migration to large parts of the world | 6,500,000 | 280,000 | 217,000 | 58,000 | 9,500 | Benznidazole, nifurtimox |
| Visceral leishmaniasisa | Leishmania donovani, Leishmania infantum | Fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, anaemia | Sandfly | Key foci: India, East Africa, Brazil | 8,600 | 400,000 | 403,000 | 600 | 5,700 | Amphotericin B, miltefosine, antimonials, paromomycin |
| Cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasisb | Leishmania tropica, Leishmania aethiopica, Leishmania major, L. infantum, Leishmania mexicana, Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania guyanensis | Cutaneous leishmaniasis: skin lesions, mainly ulcers. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis: destruction of mucous membranes of nose, mouth and throat | Sandfly | Key foci: Middle East, Mediterranean basin, Latin America | 4,600,000 | 290,000 | NA | 293,000 | NA | Antimonials, miltefosine, amphotericin B |
This table is based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study. Data are rounded. Obtaining these epidemiological data is very challenging owing to lack of diagnosis of patients and reporting. NA, not applicable. aPost-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, a complication following cure from visceral leishmaniasis is not included in this table. bCutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis are combined in this table. Some species cause both diseases. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is found in South America, whereas cutaneous leishmaniasis is found across large parts of the tropical and subtropical world.