Rarely seen infections

Abstract

There are many rare cutaneous infections of the face. This phrase seems irrelevant, because rare infections in certain parts of the world are common in others. This is more apparent if applied to different sites of the body (eg, face). For instance, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is common in Central and South America and uncommon in the United States. Because most medical practitioners in this country have never seen a case, it is easy for them to miss a diagnosis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a protozoan infection transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, is typically divided into two forms: one found in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, called Old World leishmaniasis, and one found in Latin and Central America, called New World leishmaniasis. Also atypical mycobacterial infection has been described in the medical literature since the mid-1950s. The development and introduction of a rapid radiometric mycobacterial detection system has advanced the field of mycobacteriology over the past 20 years. This method has allowed the distinction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from other mycobacteria and enabled the performance of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of mycobacteria. The increased frequency of atypical mycobacterial infection stems from advances in the diagnostic procedures concerning the infection paired with the prevalence of mycobacterial disease in immunocompromised patients infected with HIV. Erysipelas and facial cellulitis are covered briefly in this paper.