Leishmania tropica is a flagellate parasite and the cause of anthroponotic[dubious – discuss] cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans.

[2] This parasite is restricted to Afro-Eurasia and is a common cause of infection in Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, and northern India.

[3] The parasite has an interesting biology since it is very heterogeneous biochemically, serologically, and genetically compared to other Leishmania species.

[3] Fusion and hybridization of different L. tropica strains can be efficiently induced in vitro by exposure of promastigotes (a stage of the life cycle) to DNA damage stress.

[6] Leishmania species alternate between two main life forms: intracellular amastigotes in the sandfly – the vector – and extracellular motile promastigotes in the mammal – the host.

After being taken up by phagocytes, they transform into intracellular amastigotes and stay in this form during the remaining life cycle in the mammalian host.

[10] Natural infection by L. tropica has also been demonstrated in domestic dogs,[10] red foxes, golden jackals, gundis, and other species of wild rodents.