Case Report: Autochthonous Case of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in the West Bank, Palestine

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Oct;103(4):1490-1492. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0117.

Abstract

Human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) is a parasitic disease infecting children in the Mediterranean region. Here, we portray a case of a 2-year-old child with an epidemiological description of the situation surrounding the case. The patient was suffering from recurrent fever, weakness, and abdominal discomfort associated with loss of appetite. Routine blood investigations showed pancytopenia, whereas examination revealed hepatomegaly. A diagnosis of HVL was made by demonstrating amastigotes in a Giemsa-stained smear from a bone marrow aspirate followed by genotyping by PCR and sequencing. In conclusion, early detection of VL infection followed by appropriate treatment protocols is essential to saving the patient.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimony Sodium Gluconate / therapeutic use
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bone Marrow / parasitology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Reservoirs
  • Dogs / parasitology
  • Early Diagnosis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Insect Vectors
  • Leishmania infantum / isolation & purification*
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral* / diagnosis
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral* / drug therapy
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral* / pathology
  • Middle East / epidemiology
  • Phlebotomus / parasitology

Substances

  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Antimony Sodium Gluconate