**1. Introduction**

Leishmaniasis is a protozoan disease caused by the *Leishmania* genus, transmitted by female phlebotomine sandflies. Foxes and didelphid marsupials are the main rural reservoirs, and

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

domestic dogs the principal reservoir in urban areas [1]. The introduction in urban settings is due to multiple conditions such as migrations, inadequate living conditions, high population density and environment changes [2].

The disease presents itself in different clinical forms including cutaneous (CL), mucocuta‐ neous (MCL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), depending on the species of *Leishmania* and the parasite‐host relationship. In Latin America, VL is caused by the protozoan *Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi* and is the most severe form, characterized by intermittent fever, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia [3].

Since VL is no longer being characterized as a rural disease (1980s), [3] the main strategy to limit the expansion of the disease, besides the treatment of human cases, is the control of the vector *Lutzomyia longipalpis* and the parasite's reservoirs. In addition, molecular epidemiologi‐ cal studies of natural infection with species of *Leishmania*, especially in relation to its endemic distribution, may indicate the infection rate of parasites in sandflies in order to assess the populations at risk and to direct public health control strategies. In this context, we aimed in this chapter to review the main features of VL with regard the distribution of disease cases and natural infection rates of *Leishmania* in phlebotomine females in Latin America.
