War provides ideal grounds for the outbreak of infectious diseases, and the Syrian war is not an exception to this rule. Following the civil crisis, Syria and refugee camps of neighboring countries witnessed an outbreak of leishmaniasis. We accessed the database of the central leishmaniasis registry in Latakia city and obtained the leishmaniasis data of the period 2008-2016. Our data showed that the years 2013 and 2014 recorded a surge in the number of both cutaneous leishmaniases (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. This surge coincided with the massive internal displacement waves that struck Latakia governorate during that time. Subsequently, after 2015, the number of recorded CL and VL cases gradually decreased. This drop coincided with a reduced influx of internally displaced persons into Latakia governorate. Our report depicts the effects of the Syrian crisis on the epidemiology of leishmaniasis by outlining the experience of Latakia governorate. Similar results may have occurred in other refugee-hosting Syrian governorates.
Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) is a critical condition induced by a cascade of cytokine activation, characterized by overwhelming systemic inflammation, hyperferritinaemia, haemodynamic instability and multiple organ failure. At the end of 2019, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China, and rapidly developed into a global pandemic. There is a dramatic increase of inflammatory cytokines in patients with COVID-19, suggesting the existence of cytokine storm in some critical illness patients. Here, we summarize the p
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been an endemic disease in Syria for decades. The first reports of CL from the Syrian city Aleppo date back to the 17th century. The recent crisis has further empowered the spread of this infection not only in Syria, but also in the neighboring countries. Here, we describe a case of a 67-year-old patient with a 6-month, nonhealing ulcerative lesion of the left auricle. It was initially diagnosed as either a squamous or a basal cell carcinoma. However, the biopsy revealed an unexpected finding of Leishmania amastigotes in the histiocytes. Consequently, CL of the auricle, chiclero's ulcer, was diagnosed. Polymerase chain reaction, in turn, revealed Leishmania tropica to be the causing factor; a rather rare one for chiclero's ulcer. The lesion completely resolved after a 3-week glucantime regimen, without any recurrence after an 8-month follow-up.
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