A Brazilian plant's compound may be key to treating kala-azar

Kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly neglected tropical disease, can be better treated using a compound derived from Nectandra leucantha, a tree native to southern Brazil (local names: canela-seca or canela-branca), claimed a study.

Kala-azar is caused by a protozoan parasite transmitted by a sand-fly bite and is characterised by long bouts of fever, loss of weight and muscle strength, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia.

An international team of researchers from Brazil, the United Kingdom and Portugal, conducted a study showing that the substance from the Nectandra leucantha plant killed Leishmania infantum, the parasite that causes the disease.