P13 | A case of visceral leishmaniasis in a young man
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Background: Visceral leishmaniasis is a disseminated protozoan infection caused by Leishmania donovani, which transmission occurs via the bite of sand flies. It is worldwide distributed with highest prevalence in India, Africa and Mediterranean countries. Main clinical features (fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia) are common to several diseases. It is emergeing as opportunistic infection in HIV patients for whom the course tends to be more severe.Case report: A 40 years old Nigerian man presented fever and abdominal pain worsening in 2 weeks. He had malarian fever as a child, he didn’t use drugs or alcohol and receive blood transfusions in the past; physical examination revealed enlarged spleen (14 x 6 cm) and liver confirmed by echography. Blood tests showed pancytopenia (Hb 8.8 g/dl, MCV 82 fL, WBC 2560/mcL, N 880, PLTs 131/mcL) high transaminases (GOT 70 UI/ml, GPT 140 UI/ml) and acute phase proteins (PCR 20 mg/dL, ferritin 10.000 ng/ml), polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, normal iron status (TSAT 22%). CT chest scan was normal. Urine and blood cultures, hepatotropic virus screening and blood PCR for Malaria and Leishmania were negative. Suspicious of Visceral leishmaniasis was confirmed by detection of amastigotes in the bone marrow. The patient was treated with intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and recovered.Conclusions: Visceral leishmaniasis is almost fatal without treatment. It must be promptly considered in differential diagnoses of people coming from endemic areas. HIV coinfection should be ruled out because of the increased risk of death.
Source: Italian Journal of Medicine
Authors: Vo Van Kha, Tran Thi Huong Ly, Pham Thi Thanh Hoa, Vo Huynh Nhu, Damas Hendriansyah, Nusratuddin Abdullah, Rudy B. Leonardy, Mardiah Tahir, Samrichard Rambulangi, Firdaus Hamid, Filomena Pietrantonio, Vera Kopsaj, Francesco Rosiello, Aurora Tomassoni, Luca Moriconi, Donatella Padua, Kiki Rizki Amelia, Efendi Lukas, Nurbani Bangsawan, Isharyah Sunarno, Retno Budiarti Farid, Sriwijaya Qadar, Rabab H. Elshaikh, Ashok Kumar Sah, Abdelrahman Mohamed Abukanna, Abdulrahman Algarni, Ammar Abdelmola, Hussam Ali Osman, Tagwa Yousif Elsayed Yousif, Elryah I. Ali, Hiba Ali, Ayman Hussein Alfeel, Thanh Long Nguyen, Victor Storm, Lam Toi Phung, Cong Thien Le, Thi Thu Ha Le, Thi Hoa Nguyen, Son Tung Vu, Thien Thang Tran, Minh Hanh Vu, Van Tuan Nguyen, Francesco Ventrella, Anna Belfiore, Antonio Greco, Franco Mastroianni, Salvatore Lenti, Domenico Ruggiero, Michele Cannone, Vincenzo Ostilio Palmieri, Massimo Errico, Giuseppe Mancia, Guido Grassi, Sverre E. Kjeldsen
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413795056