Visceral Leishmaniasis during Italian Renaissance, 1522–1562

To the Editor: Leishmaniasis, an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, is transmitted to humans through the bite of a female sandfly. The 3 forms of leishmaniasis are visceral (VL) and cutaneous (CL), which are typical of the Old World, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, which occurs primarily in Central and South America. VL (also called kala-azar) is caused by species of the L. donovani complex (including L. infantum), and CL is mainly caused by L. major or L. tropica (1). In Italy, VL and CL are caused by L. infantum. The origin and spread of leishmaniasis are a matter of debate. Widespread in antiquity, visceral leishmaniasis has been identified only in mummies from ancient Egypt and upper Nubia (2). Similarly, only 4 cases of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis have been identified in skulls from northern Chile (3).