Case Report: Autochthonous Case of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in the West Bank, Palestine
Date
2020-07-27
Authors
Al-Jawabreh, Ahmed
Ereqat, Suheir
Dumaidi, Kamal
Nasereddin, Abdelmajeed
Sawalha, Samir
Al-Jawabreh, Hanan
Al-Jawabreh, Amer
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Abstract
Human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) is a parasitic disease infecting children in the Mediterranean region.
Here,weportray a case of a 2-year-old child with an epidemiological description of the situation surrounding the case. The
patient was suffering from recurrent fever, weakness and abdominal discomfort associated with loss of appetite. Routine
blood investigations showed pancytopenia, whereas examination revealed hepatomegaly. A diagnosis of HVL was made
by demonstrating amastigotes in a Giemsa-stained smear from a bone marrow aspirate followed by genotyping by PCR
and sequencing. In conclusion, early detection of VL infection followed by appropriate treatment protocols is essential to
saving the patient.