The Social and Environmental Determinants of the Leishmaniases in the Americas

Abstract

The leishmaniases are vector-borne diseases caused by protozoan parasites of thegenus Leishmania and transmitted by the bite of female phlebotomine sand flies.In the Americas, the transmission cycle is primarily zoonotic both for Americancutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) endemic in 18 countries and American visceralleishmaniasis (AVL) endemic to 13 countries. The range of parasites, vectors,reservoirs, and epidemiological scenarios involved in the transmission ofleishmaniases, their distribution, and geographical expansion are challenges fortheoretical analysis as well as for the design of control strategies. Therefore, tocontribute to knowledge but also to the preventive program interventions, in thischapter we will focus on the environmental and socioeconomic determinants ofthe spatial and temporal distribution of the leishmaniases in the Americas, fromthe eco-epidemiology as conceptual framework to remote sensing image analysisas an analytical tool, approaching the theme by looking at the main elementsinvolved in the transmission cycle: vectors, reservoirs, and humans.