Leprosy and American cutaneous leishmaniasis coinfection

Abstract

Brazil is a country with a high prevalence of infectious diseases such as leprosy and leishmaniasis. However, coinfection of these diseases is still poorly understood. We report a case of a patient who presented with lepromatous leprosy and cutaneous-mucosal leishmaniasis at the same period. After clinical, laboratory, and histopathological diagnosis, the treatment was introduced and the patient showed important clinical improvement. He was followed in our outpatient clinic. Both pathologies play an important role in the immune system. Depending on the immune response profile of the host, diseases may present themselves in different ways. In this case, the patient showed a divergent immune response for each disease. We hypothesized that this response is specific for each pathogen.

Hyperendemicity, heterogeneity and spatial overlap of leprosy and cutaneous leishmaniasis in the southern Amazon region of Brazil

“…The occurrence of leprosy may also be influenced by the occurrence of CL, specifically in the areas highlighted by the BiLISA statistics, as has already been proposed for other infectious diseases in Brazil (Phillips et al, 2017) and abroad (Aturinde et al, 2019). These two diseases share certain clinical, immunological and epidemiological aspects (Martínez et al, 2018) as reported in relation to some cases of co-infection in Brazil (Costa et al, 2009;Mercadante et al, 2018). This emphasizes the need for further detailed investigations on the extent of co-endemicity and the frequency and outcomes of leprosy and CL co-infections.…”

Clinico-immunological spectrum of American tegumentary leishmaniasis and leprosy coinfection: A case series in Southeastern Brazil

“…Concurrent ATL and leprosy have previously been reported [3][4][5]12 . Initial MB leprosy manifestation followed by clinical ML several years later has also been described 10 .…”

“…Although both diseases are prevalent in some countries, reports on comorbidity in the same patient are scarce. In 1978, 8 patients with coinfections of leprosy and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were reported in Ethiopia 3 , followed by reports of ATL-leprosy concurrence in Venezuela 4 , India 5,6 , Northeastern Brazil 7 , Southeastern Brazil [8][9][10][11][12] , and Central America 13 .…”

Leprosy and cutaneous leishmaniasis affecting the same individuals: A retrospective cohort analysis in a hyperendemic area in Brazil

“…Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae , whereas CL is caused by the protozoan Leishmania parasites that are transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. Both infections involve mucocutaneous tissues and produce a chronic granulomatous inflammatory response [ 4 , 5 ]. Both diseases are also a leading cause of deformity, stigma and discrimination in endemic populations [ 6 ].…”