This work was supported by EK Elmahallawy, who has a PhD scholarship (number 736) from Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programme (ELEMENT Action 1 First call).Leishmaniasis is a clinically heterogeneous syndrome caused by intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The clinical
spectrum of leishmaniasis encompasses subclinical ( not apparent), localized (skin lesion), and disseminated (cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and
visceral) infection. This spectrum of manifestations depends on the immune status of the host, on the parasite, and on immunoinflammatory
responses. Visceral leishmaniasis causes high morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Reliable laboratory methods become
mandatory for accurate diagnosis, especially in immunocompromised patients such as those infected with HIV. In this article, we review the
current state of the diagnostic tools for leishmaniasis, especially the serological test.Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programme (ELEMENT Action 1 First call)
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