Disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis in HIV positive patient--a case report

Absence of DNA and anti-leishmanial antibodies in dogs (Canis familiaris) in Plateau state, Nigeria

Dogs are important sentinels for the surveillance of some zoonotic diseases including human leishmaniasis. To obtain information on the role of dogs in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Nigeria, 98 sera and 204 DNA samples obtained from dogs were screened for anti-leishmania antibodies and DNA of Leishmania spp. using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and PCR, respectively. Initially, three out of the 98 sera samples had ELISA borderline optical density (OD) values and were retested. Two out of the three samples turned out to be negative while one sample gave yet a borderline OD value on a retest. A real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the 120-bp fragment of the minicircle kDNA of Leishmania spp. run on DNA extracted from EDTA preserved blood of the borderline positive serum failed to amplify the 120-bp sequence of Leishmania spp. In the second phase of the study, 204 DNA from dog blood samples were subjected to conventional PCR targeting the 300-350 bp of the internal transcribe spacer region 1 (ITS1) of Leishmania spp. None of the samples could be amplified (n = 204, 0%). Our study suggests that L. infantum is not prevalence in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria and this should be confirmed using a larger sample of local dogs tested using PCR methods in lymphoid tissue samples.

Seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis in Kwara, Oyo and Ogun states of Nigeria

Leishmaniasis is an important tropical disease that is gradually gaining attention in Nigeria. The canine species which include domestic dogs have been named the reservoir host for the zoonotic form of leishmaniasis. The present study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis in three selected states of Nigeria using indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Two hundred and seventy-three canine sera were tested for Leishmania IgG antibodies. Dogs sampled were grouped into young (<1 year) and adult (>1 year). Total prevalence recorded was 4.40 % (12/273). There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between sera of hunting (4.83 %) and companion dogs (3.03 %). Furthermore, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between young and adults dogs. There was no correlation between sex and prevalence of canine leishmaniasis. However, significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed in the prevalence of each state with Kwara, Oyo and Ogun having 14.63, 3.33 and 1.32 % respectively. The result of this study established the presence of canine leishmaniasis in Oyo, Ogun and Kwara States of Nigeria making the zoonotic form of the disease a possibility.

A patient presenting with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) as a first indicator of HIV infection in India

Opportunistic parasitic infections such as leishmaniasis are common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and are usually acquired several days after initial diagnosis of HIV infection. Here, we report on a patient who presented with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) caused by Leishmania tropica as the first and only clinical manifestation of HIV infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case that illustrates that DCL could be the first clinical indicator of HIV infection. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and DCL are becoming frequent opportunistic infections in HIV-infected individuals throughout the world. To date, all documented cases of CL and HIV coinfections have been reported in patients who were known cases of HIV and who subsequently developed CL. In this report, we present a case that illustrates that DCL could be the first clinical indicator of HIV infection.