Infectious diseases account for a substantial death toll across the globe. Statistics suggested that among the mortalities caused in tropical countries, 50% of cases are due to infectious diseases. Among the world wide deaths reported per year caused by parasitic infection, the second largest position is attributed to leishmaniasis. 

Depending upon the infecting species, clinical manifestation, and disease pathology, leishmaniasis is subcategorized into three major clinical forms; namely, Visceral leishmaniasis(VL), Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). VL also referred to as Kala-azar is the most severe form caused by the species Leishmania donovani. According to latest reports from the WHO and DNDi, leishmaniasis has been found to be endemic in 65 countries along with newer countries like Sri Lanka and Australia being affected.

In this lecture, Hemanta K. Majumder, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, will give a brief overview of the parasitic disease Leishmaniases as well as some of the major concerns that surround it, including the emergence of resistant parasites that are unresponsive to classical drugs. He will also describe the work that he is doing to help combat this disease, which includes helping to develop several compounds of natural and synthetic origin which have been found to have potent antileishmanial activities working through DNA topoisomerases of the parasites. 

Continuing Professional Development

This event is approved by the Royal Society of Biology for purposes of CPD and can be counted as 6 CPD points.