Visceral Leishmaniasis

Once a major public-health threat across Bangladesh, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar remains a formidable challenge wherever delayed diagnosis, limited resources, and treatment toxicity place vulnerable populations at risk. Visceral Leishmaniasis: From Biological Foundations to Diagnostic Innovation and Treatment Safety transforms more than a decade of frontline research into a compelling account of how scientific discovery can inform clinical care and public-health action. Drawing on peer-reviewed studies conducted mainly in VL-endemic communities of Rajshahi, Professor Dr. Md. Abdus Salam traces the disease from the intracellular biology and immunopathology of Leishmania donovani to the realities of diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, and prevention. The book examines the evolution of VL diagnostics, from rK39 serology and buffy coat microscopy to PCR, LAMP, and non-invasive urine-based platforms such as KAtex and rK28 ELISA. These findings converge in a tiered diagnostic algorithm for resource-limited health systems, with attention to HIV co-infection, post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, low-parasite-density infection, and treatment monitoring. Beyond diagnosis, the monograph evaluates treatment safety and pharmacovigilance, including the limitations of sodium stibogluconate and the evolving roles of liposomal amphotericin B and combination therapy. It also explores vaccine strategies, elimination-focused surveillance, vector control, antimicrobial resistance, and One Health amid climate change and population mobility.Appearing at a defining moment following Bangladesh's historic validation as the first country to eliminate VL as a public-health problem, this volume is both a record of scientific progress and a guide to protecting that achievement. Key original articles are reproduced to provide methodological transparency and evidentiary depth. Authoritative, field-grounded, and translational in scope, this book is an essential resource for clinicians, parasitologists, microbiologists, researchers, trainees, public-health professionals, and policymakers committed to ensuring that kala-azar remains detectable, treatable, and ultimately preventable.