Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a major World health problem, which is increasing in incidence. In Northern Europe it is seen in travellers returning from endemic areas. The protozoa is transmitted by sandflies and may produce a variety of clinical syndromes varying from a simple ulcer to fatal systemic disease. This review considers the management of simple cutaneous leishmaniasis. Patients usually have a single ulcer which may heal spontaneously, requiring only topical, or no treatment at all. Lesions caused by Leishmania braziliensis may evolve into the mucocutaneous form, 'espundia', and should be treated with systemic antimony. Sodium stiboglucoante 20 mg/kg/day i. v. for 20 days is the appropriate first line treatment in these cases. Although it may cause transient bone marrow suppression, liver damage, a chemical pancreatitis, and disturbances in the electrocardiogram, it appears to be safe. The success of treatment should be assessed 6 weeks after it has been completed and patients should be followed up for 6 months.

Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health

“…in the New World), and humans are mostly incidental hosts. The result of infection in humans can vary from a chronic skin ulcer, to erosive mucosal disease with progressive destruction of the nasopharynx and severe facial disfigurement in case of CL, to a life-threatening systemic infection with hepato-splenomegly in case of VL (Hepburn 2000).…”

“…There are 1-1.5 million new cases of cutaneous leishamaniasis each year (Desjeux 2004) of which more than 90% occur in Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, in the 'Old World,' and Brazil and Peru in the 'New World' (Hepburn 2000). In the Old World, cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania tropica in urban areas and Leishmania major in dry desert areas.…”

Mutilating Lupoid Leishmaniasis: Twelve Years to Make the Diagnosis!

“…Culture on NovyMacNeal-Nicolle medium and Giemsa smears for direct microscopy were negative for leishmaniasis, and prolonged cultures for The major clinical and histological differential diagnosis includes LR and lupus vulgaris which share similar clinical and histological features with LL. The former shares, in addition, the same causative organism but differs from LL in that it is, by definition, a recurrent lesion [9,10] . This may account for the erroneous use of LR and LL as synonyms in the literature.…”

“…There is currently no standardized therapy for CCL [9,11] . The condition is often resistant to many conventional therapies used for leishmaniasis and may persist/progress over many years.…”

Immunomodulation by Shark Cartilage Extracts

“…In cases where innate immunity and cell-mediated immune responses can be promoted using Th1 adjuvants, a natural product or drug capable of stimulating a specific Th1 response would be beneficial to the host. Such products could potentially be used, for example, as topical applications for treating and/or controlling skin lesions caused by parasitic Leishmaniasis (Hepburn, 2000).…”