[Visceral leishmaniasis in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): results and basic lines of further study].

The results of studies of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) made in the 20th century in the Commonwealth of Independent States that are VL-endemic, such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are summed up. The magnitude of studies of VL in different regions is different. The authors analyze the epidemiological and epizootological situation and define the basic lines of further studies of VL, which include the present view of the prevalence of VL in Central Asia and Transcaucasia; identification of strains of the pathogen by molecular genetic methods; study of its vectors; detection of natural reservoirs of the pathogen, improvement of methods for VL diagnosis; and their introduction into laboratories' work.