What is the etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis? How is the disease transmitted and what are its typical manifestations?
The etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis is the protozoan Leishmania braziliensis.
The transmission, as in the visceral form of the disease, is by the bite of the sand fly Lutzomya (named after the Brazilian scientist Adolfo Lutz), the vector host. Cutaneous leshmaniasis makes in the bite site where the parasite establishes itself. The skin wound has a volcanic crater shape, a reddish injury with elevated borders. From the primary lesions the parasites can spread by the blood to affect other areas, mostly the mucosae of the nose, mouth and pharynx, causing facial deformations.