[Leishmaniasis: case report].
Keywords
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Leishmaniasis is a chronic parasitic disease of the reticuloendothelial system which is manifested by gradual onset, unspecific disorders and can take a form of visceral, cutaneous or mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. The aim of the study is to present the patient who was treated for visceral leishmaniasis at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Novi Sad.
METHODS
A patient, 22 years old, had been admitted at the Clinic one month after the beginning of the disease with gradual onset malaise, fatigue, loss of appetite, intermittent temperature and night sweating. A few days before the admittance to the hospital, dark colour of urine and the pain under the left rib occurred. On admission, the patient had been afebrile, dehydrated, intoxicated, he had subicteric sclerae with enlarged liver and extremely enlarged spleen. Laboratory findings revealed anemia, leucopenia, and increased level of gamma globulins. Hypercellularity of the bone marrow with cells of all degrees of maturity had been determined by sternal puncture. We have epidemiologically obtained information about the bites of a mosquito from the Phlebotomus genus at the Adriatic coastal region, two years and two months ago. The diagnosis had been confirmed by the formol-gel test and by the indirect hemaglutination test. Leishmaniae donovani had been found in the bone marrow punctate.
METHODS
The patient had been treated by appropriate doses of N-methyl-glucamine-antimonate (Glucantime), during three weeks, after which he was cured. During the one-year follow-up period normalization of laboratory findings as well as liver and spleen ultrasonographic findings occurred.
CONCLUSIONS
Because of gradual onset and polymorphic troubles during the beginning of leishmaniasis, many diseases can be taken into account for diagnostic differentiation. From this study it is obvious that even the possibility of such a disease must be considered, despite the fact that it is rare in our region, because fatal outcome is avoidable only by the timely diagnosis and therapy.
