Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL; also known as Kala-azar) is an ultimately fatal disease endemic in Bihar, India. A 2007 observational cohort study in Bihar of 251 patients with VL treated with 20 mg/Kg intravenous liposomal amphotericin B (Ambisome) demonstrated a 98% cure rate at 6-months. Between July 2007 and August 2012, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute (RMRI) implemented a VL treatment project in Bihar, India—an area highly endemic for Leishmania donovani—using this regimen as first-line treatment.

Authors

Sakib Burza, Prabhat K. Sinha, Raman Mahajan, María Angeles Lima, Gaurab Mitra, Neena Verma, Manica Balasegarem, Pradeep Das