A rare encounter in nonsuspecting circumstances: First congenital visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in Libya

Amal Elarabi; Zinab Saad; Walid Saadawi; Nadia Aldobea; Fauzi Sagher

doi:10.4103/ijmbs.ijmbs_9_20

Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2020; 12(01): 44-48
DOI: 10.4103/ijmbs.ijmbs_9_20

Case Report

A rare encounter in nonsuspecting circumstances: First congenital visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in Libya

Amal Elarabi

¹Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tripoli University Hospital, Tripoli

,

Zinab Saad

¹Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tripoli University Hospital, Tripoli

²Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli

,

Walid Saadawi

³National Centre for Disease Control, Tripoli

,

Nadia Aldobea

³National Centre for Disease Control, Tripoli

,

Fauzi Sagher

¹Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tripoli University Hospital, Tripoli

²Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Congenital transmission of Leishmaniasis is very rare. It occurs through blood exchange from the mother to the child during pregnancy or delivery. We report the first confirmed congenital leishmaniasis in a 4-month-old Libyan boy with prolonged jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly. This was a congenital transmission from his mother who was asymptomatic and not known to have leishmaniasis, which was confirmed after the diagnosis of the infant. Despite treatment, the infant died. The diagnostic approach is illustrated by the case report. Poor obstetric history in the mother may be related to her own undiagnosed kala azar.

Key-words:

Congenital kala azar - Leishmania infantum - visceral leishmaniasis

Full Text

References

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