A Case Report of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Punjab, India.

Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease, has been endemic in India since ancient times 1, 2. At present, it is a serious public health problem in Indian subcontinent, especially in state of Bihar. It is caused by obligate intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania and is responsible for a broad spectrum of clinical syndromes: Cutaneous lieshmaniasis (CL), Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and Mucocutaneousleishmaniasis (ML). VL, locally known as kala-azar in India, is the most aggressive form and if undervalued is fatal. Here we describe an imported case of visceral leishmaniasisreported in the State of Punjab which is non-endemic for the disease. The importance of the case lies in the fact that, a case of Visceral Leishmaniasis has been reported after a gap of 4 years in the State.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an Immigrant Saudi Worker: A Case Report.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), an uncommon disorder in South-East Asia, including Bangladesh, often presents as granulomatous plaque on the exposed areas, with a high index of suspicion required for diagnosis. Here we report the first imported case of CL caused by Leishmania tropica in a migrant Bangladeshi worker in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The case, initially suspected as a case of cutaneous tuberculosis, arrived at specimens reception unit (SRU) of diagnostic labs of icddr,b being referred by the physician for ALS testing for tuberculosis. At his arrival in the SRU, one of the health personnel of the unit who used to work in KSA suspected him as a case of CL. The diagnosis was confirmed by smear microscopy which revealed plenty of amastigotes within macrophages. PCR was performed to confirm the species. He was treated with sodium stibogluconate at Shahid Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Dhaka.