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Duodenal leishmaniasis after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 48, pages 614–615 (2013)Cite this article

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Visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of the sand fly vector caused by different species of Leishmanias genera. It used to appear in positive HIV patients who have CD4 cell count under 200 × 106/L. However, visceral leishmaniasis cases have also been described in patients with acquired immunodeficiency, such as those patients who had undergone transplantation.1, 2, 3, 4

The most usual signs are fever, pancytopenia, general unwellness and hepatosplenomegaly. The effects on the gastrointestinal tract are less common but include diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, nausea and weight lost.5 It can affect any segment of gastrointestinal tract, but the most common location is the duodenum. There is no characteristic endoscopic image. The diagnosis is histological, by identifying the parasite inside macrophage cells of gastrointestinal lamina propria.6, 7

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Acknowledgements

This publication has been supported by the Asociación Medicina e Investigación (AMI) Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Reina Sofía University Hospital, Córdoba, Spain

    C Martínez-Losada, C Martin & A Torres

  2. Department of Pathology, Reina Sofía University Hospital, Córdoba, Spain

    T Cuenca

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  1. C Martínez-Losada
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  2. C Martin
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  3. T Cuenca
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  4. A Torres
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Correspondence to C Martin.

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Martínez-Losada, C., Martin, C., Cuenca, T. et al. Duodenal leishmaniasis after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT. Bone Marrow Transplant 48, 614–615 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2012.190

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