by Singh-Phulgenda S, Kumar R, Dahal P, Munir A, Rashan S, Chhajed S, Naylor C, Maguire BJ, Ali Siddiqui N, Harriss E, Rahi M, Alves F, Sundar S, Stepniewska K, Musa A, Guerin PJ, Pandey K. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2024, 18(4):e0011635. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011635
Summary: There are numerous gaps in our knowledge about post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), a public health problem in areas endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, as Leishmania donovani parasites found in PKDL lesions remain infectious to sandfly vectors. The authors of this manuscript conducted a systematic literature review to discover the evidence supporting therapeutic efficacy recommendations for PKDL patients and identified 56 studies describing 2,486 patients. The Infectious Diseases Data Observatory has established a data platform for VL. The authors believe that, with the help of relevant stakeholders, the global PKDL community, and sufficient resources, one could be established for PKDL. This would enable in-depth meta-analyses of individual participant data to address several knowledge gaps in PKDL and to guide future research.
