Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis may be mild or severe and appear after the incubation period of the leishmania parasite, which can be anywhere from several weeks to 6 months. Occasionally the parasite may remain dormant in an infected individual for years and multiply when the individual’s immune system becomes compromised.

Cardinal signs and symptoms: weight loss, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, intermittent fever (usually rising and falling 2 times a day), hypergammaglobulinemia

Other signs and symptoms: adenopathy, hypoalbuminemia, hyperpigmentation of the forehead, abdomen, hands and feet (seen only in India), dizziness, cough, diarrhea, jaundice, ascites, skin lesions. Patients often progress to cachexia, multisystem disease, bleeding disorders, secondary infections and death.




Photo showing marked enlargement of the spleen
in patient with visceral leishmaniasis. CDC photo.