Case Report: Atypical Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Patient with Mixed Leishmania guyanensis and Leishmania amazonensis Infection

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2018 Nov;99(5):1165-1169. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0760.

Abstract

The disseminated form of leishmaniasis is a serious and rare disease, being diagnosed in 2% of the cutaneous cases registered per year in Brazil. The main characteristic is the appearance of multiple pleomorphic lesions on the cutaneous surface. A 68-year-old male from the rural area of Tocantins, Brazil, presented atypical disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). The clinical course and histopathological and immunological findings presented a mixed pattern that hindered diagnosis and therapeutic management. Molecular typing revealed a mixed infection with Leishmania (V.) guyanensis and Leishmania (L.) amazonensis. Molecular identification of the agents responsible for ACL is important for adequate therapeutic planning, minimizing the possibility of sequellae that impact the quality of life of the patient.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amphotericin B / therapeutic use
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Brazil
  • Coinfection / diagnosis*
  • Coinfection / parasitology*
  • DNA, Protozoan / genetics
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
  • Humans
  • Leishmania guyanensis / genetics*
  • Leishmania guyanensis / isolation & purification
  • Leishmania mexicana / genetics*
  • Leishmania mexicana / isolation & purification
  • Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / diagnosis*
  • Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / drug therapy
  • Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / parasitology
  • Male
  • Molecular Typing
  • Rural Population
  • Skin / parasitology
  • Skin / pathology

Substances

  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • DNA, Protozoan
  • Amphotericin B