Kala-azar, Kala-azar

Verse

Before discussing classification,

Let us understand a few key features,

Of Leishmania infantum,

The organism we are studying.

Verse

Leishmania infantum,

A kinetoplastid protozoan parasite,

Belonging to the family,

Trypanosomatidae!

Chorus

An obligate intracellular parasite,

An important cause of visceral leishmaniasis,

Also known as kala-azar,

Kala-azar, kala-azar!

Verse

Through the bite of an infected female sandfly,

A phlebotomine sandfly carries the parasite,

Domestic dogs are important reservoir hosts,

Helping maintain the transmission cycle.

Verse

Macrophages are primarily involved,

The liver, spleen and bone marrow,

These are the organs that can be affected,

Remember them wherever you go!

Outro

Now that we understand the background,

And the key features of this organism,

Let us move on to the next section,

Its taxonomic classification!