ABSTRACT
Pentavalent antimonials are the mainstay drugs for the systemic and local intralesional treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, these drugs are expensive and may be associated with numerous serious side effects. Recently, 2% zinc sulphate and 7 % sodium Chloride have been tried for intralesional therapy of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis and found very effective and had high cure rates. In this study, the effectiveness of intralesional zinc sulphate and hypertonic sodium chloride for curing acute cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis was further evaluated. Patients with typical lesions of acute leishmaniasis, confirmed by parasitological methods were enrolled in this study. Using simple random distribution, patients were allocated into three treatment groups. Of the 97 patients initially selected, 59 completed the study, the first group comprised 22 patients having 32 lesions and treated with 2 % zinc sulphate; the second group comprised 18 patients having 28 lesions and treated with 7 % sodium chloride; and the third group comprised 19 patients having 30 lesions and treated with the standard sodium stibogluconate [pentostam]. The results showed that 2 % zinc sulphate and 7 % sodium Chloride are effective, safe, economic and quick medications for the intra-lesional treatment of few lesions of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis, where 93.8 % and 85.6 % of the lesions treated by both preparations, respectively, were cured after three intralesional injections. 90 % of the lesions treated bypentostam were cured after three intralesional injections