Premium
Leishmania infection in a 51‐year‐old woman with sarcoidosis
Author(s) -
CHIANURA LEONARDO,
CIRASINO LORENZO
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_484.x
Subject(s) - sarcoidosis , prednisone , leishmania , immunology , leishmaniasis , medicine , opportunistic infection , immunity , protozoa , dermatology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , biology , immune system , viral disease , parasite hosting , microbiology and biotechnology , world wide web , computer science
Patients with sarcoidosis are at risk of opportunistic infections both from the sarcoidosis itself and from steroid therapy. Steroid therapy by reducing cell‐mediated immunity increases the risk of infection with intracellular organisms. We present a case of Leishmania infection in a 51‐year‐old Italian woman receiving prednisone for sarcoidosis. The patient lives in Liguria, a region in the northwest of Italy that is considered highly endemic for leishmaniasis. We would postulate that even though leishmaniasis is seen relatively infrequently in connection with sarcoidosis, the occurrence of this opportunistic infection is possible in patients living in areas endemic for such protozoa.