Bacterial infections associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis

ABSTRACT

Oriental sore occurs mostly in the mediteranian region, North Africa, and the Middle East. Rodents are the main reservoir for the parasite. The wet type caused by L. major is rural and the dry type caused by L. tropica is urban and humans are presumably the only reservoir. Sand fly vectors are involved in all forms. This study aimed to show the most important bacterial infections concomitant with cutaneous leishmaniasis. The study was performed on 75 patients [ages 1 -50 years] from both sexes were attending Skin Diseases Department of Ramadi General Hospital during the period extended from January to June 2000. These patients were clinically diagnosed as patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis. Skin specimens were taken for bacteriological and parasitological investigations. The same thing was done for specimens from 25 intact individuals resembling the test group as negative controls. Children showed more lesions with Positive cutaneous leishmaniasis, adult females, showed more 1 lesions than adult males. Children showed more bacterial isolates than adults, from both positive and negative 1 lesions. Staphylococcal and Streptococcal isolates took the first rank of isolation in all age groups and both sexes. E. coli and fecal Streptococci were isolated from children only. Bacterial invasion for the skin lesion with cutaneous leishmaniasis complicates the lesion and leads to misdiagnosis, in addition to the delay of healing of the lesion via bacterial end-products. There is a need for accurate diagnostic techniques like polymerase chain reaction [PCR] for both bacterial and parasitic agents, suitable effective antimicrobial therapy, in addition to the antileishmanial agents. Good sanitation of the lesion and community education to prevent infections