The title details the extensive trajectory of studies on leishmaniasis (infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites) in Brazil, encompassing the discovery of its etiologic agents, the diverse species of leishmanias associated with the different clinical forms of the disease, their reservoir hosts and the vector sandflies. The work also addresses aspects of epidemiology and control actions implemented in different socio-political contexts and at different times.
Classified into three main types (cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral), the leishmaniases continue to represent an important public health problem in Brazil, in the Americas and in several areas of the Old World. The book sheds light on little-known aspects of history, including behind the scenes of the articulations, the work plans of pioneering researchers and the impacts that their studies had at the time of their realization, as well as the implications for subsequent studies in different regions of Brazil. At the same time, it contextualizes the emergence of important research institutions across the country and the beginning of international cooperation and leishmaniasis control programs.