No abstract

BACKGROUNDLeishmaniasis is an infectious, noncontagious disease caused by Protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which are incolled in humans through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies. These parasites proliferate in reticuloendothelial cells of the affected individuals. In rare circumstances, one of the observed symptoms is joint pain. In the scientific literature there are records of Leishmania donovani found in histiocytes of the joints. American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) is one of the leishmaniasis forms. Immunosuppression caused by cancer, chemotherapy, transplantation, or untreated HIV infection may predispose to rare opportunistic infections, such as leishmaniasis of the joints. In these patients, ATL may present peculiar characteristics, such as dissemination of parasites, atypical presentation, which are often severe, and even visceralization.