Leishmania donovani (a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis) poses a serious health threat to the human population which is fatal if left untreated. The life cycle of Leishmania alternates between vertebrate host and Phlebotomine fly as intermediate ones. Due to the difficulties linked to vector (sandfly) control and the lack of an effective vaccine, the control of leishmaniasis relies mostly on chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the prevalence of parasites becoming resistant to the first-line drug pentavalent antimonial (SbV )/sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) and some other anti-leishmanial drug is increasing in several parts of the world. With the alarming rise of drug resistance and other issues related to VL, there is an urgent need to focus on early detection and quick diagnosis of VL case. Therefore, we have reviewed most of the methods used in the diagnostic process of VL. Along with existing diagnostic methods, developing more effective and sensitive diagnostic methods and biomarkers is also vital for enhancing VL identification and control programs. This review gathers the comprehensive information on diagnostics methods of VL under a single umbrella that could be the prominent tools for the development of rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnostic kits for VL which can be used in field conditions.
Keywords: diagnosis methods; drug resistance; parasite identification; visceral leishmaniasis.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.