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Leishmania

Algae and Protists

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Leishmania is a genus of parasitic protozoans transmitted to humans and other mammals through the bite of infected sandflies, found across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas and southern Europe. Different species in the genus cause leishmaniasis, a disease with several distinct forms ranging from disfiguring skin sores to a severe, potentially fatal disease affecting internal organs, and the parasite is notable for living and reproducing inside the very immune cells, macrophages, that are normally responsible for destroying invading pathogens.

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