Pediatric Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Region in India

Saurabh Agrawal Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Saurabh Agrawal in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Kanika Khandelwal Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Kanika Khandelwal in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Ram A. Bumb Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Ram A. Bumb in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Steve Oghumu Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Steve Oghumu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Poonam Salotra Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Poonam Salotra in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Abhay R. Satoskar Department of Dermatology, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; Department of Molecular Biology, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Search for other papers by Abhay R. Satoskar in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.13-0737
Volume/Issue:
Volume 91: Issue 5
Page(s):
901–904
Restricted access
Get Permissions

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in the Bikaner region situated in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. This study describes clinicoepidemiological data of pediatric CL in pre-school children (0–5 years of age) from this region during 2001–2012. In total, 151 patients with 217 lesions were reported during the study period. The mean age of the study group was 3.29 ± 1.43 years (0.25–5 years), with many (41.7%) cases being in the age group of 2–4 years. Face was the most common site involved, and morphologically, the lesions were either plaque type or papulonodular. Smear for parasitologic examination was positive in 84 (70%) of 120 cases, and histopathologic examination confirmed CL in 10 (55.55%) of 18 cases. Parasite species identification conducted for 13 randomly selected patients by polymerase chain reaction identified Leishmania tropica as the causative species. Intralesional sodium stibogluconate was the most commonly used treatment and found to be well-tolerated. Other therapies that were effective included oral rifampicin, oral dapsone, radiofrequency heat therapy (RFHT), and combinations of the three therapies.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Abhay R. Satoskar, Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, 129 Hamilton Hall, 1645 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210. E-mail: abhay.satoskar@osumc.edu

Authors' addresses: Saurabh Agrawal, Kanika Khandelwal, and Ram A. Bumb, Department of Dermatology, S P Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, E-mails: sagrawal@yahoo.com, khandelwalk@yahoo.com, and dr_bumb@rediffmail.com. Steve Oghumu and Abhay R. Satoskar, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, E-mails: steve.oghumu@osumc.edu and satoskar.2@osu.edu. Poonam Salotra, Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR, New Delhi, India, E-mail: psalotra@yahoo.com.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2014
Received:
14 Dec 2013
|
Accepted:
31 May 2014
|
Published Online:
05 Nov 2014
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
  • 1.

    Reithinger R, Dujardin JC, Louzir H, Pirmez C, Alexander B, Brooker S, 2007. Cutaneous leishmaniasis. Lancet Infect Dis 7: 581–596.

  • 2.

    WHO, 2010. Control of the leishmaniases. Proceedings of the Meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on the Control of Leishmaniases. WHO Technical Report Series 949, March 22–26, 2010, Geneva, Switzerland.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 3.

    Srivastava D, Vyas MCR, Joshi CK, 1987. Clinico epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Bikaner (Rajasthan). J Commun Dis 19: 326–331.

  • 4.

    Kumar R, Bumb RA, Ansari NA, Mehta RD, Salotra P, 2007. Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania tropica in Bikaner, India: parasite identification and characterization using molecular and immunologic tools. Am J Trop Med Hyg 76: 896–901.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5.

    Kafetzis DA, 2003. An overview of paediatric leishmaniasis. J Postgrad Med 49: 31–38.

  • 6.

    Bari AU, 2008. Childhood cutaneous leishmaniasis. J Clin Diagn Res 2: 973–978.

  • 7.

    Zaraa I, Ishak F, Kort R, El Euch D, Mokni M, Chaker E, Ben Osman A, 2010. Childhood and adult cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia. Int J Dermatol 49: 790–793.

  • 8.

    Shoaib S, Tauheed S, Hafeez A, 2007. Cutaneous leishmaniasis: an emerging childhood infection. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 19: 40–41.

  • 9.

    Qasmi S, Elguelbazouri N, Belgnaoui FZ, Marcil T, Bouhllab J, Senouci K, Aitourhoui M, Hassam B, 2008. Childhood cutaneous leishmaniasis: experience of a Moroccan unit of dermatology. Dermatol Online J 14: 18.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10.

    Talari SA, Talaei R, Shajari G, Vakili Z, Taghaviardakani A, 2006. Childhood cutaneous leishmaniasis: report of 117 cases from Iran. Korean J Parasitol 44: 355–360.

  • 11.

    Kharfi M, Benmously R, El Fekih N, Daoud M, Fitouri Z, Mokhtar I, Ben Becher S, Kamoun MR, 2004. Childhood leishmaniasis: report of 106 cases. Dermatol Online J 10: 6.

  • 12.

    Fenniche S, Souissi A, Benmously R, Ben Jannet S, Marrak H, Mokhtar I, 2006. Childhood cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia: retrospective study of 60 cases. Med Trop (Mars) 66: 456–460.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 13.

    Gurel MS, Ulukanligil M, Ozbilge H, 2002. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sanliurfa: epidemiologic and clinical features of the last four years (1997–2000). Int J Dermatol 41: 32–37.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 14.

    Rodrigues EH, Felinto de Brito ME, Mendonça MG, Werkhäuser RP, Coutinho EM, Souza WV, Militão de Albuquerque M de F, Jardim ML, Abath FG, 2002. Evaluation of PCR for diagnosis of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in an area of endemicity in northeastern Brazil. J Clin Microbiol 40: 3572–3576.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 15.

    Al-Hucheimi SN, Sultan BA, Al-Dhalimi MA, 2009. A comparative study of the diagnosis of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iraq by polymerase chain reaction and microbiologic and histopathologic methods. Int J Dermatol 48: 404–408.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 16.

    Vega-López F, 2003. Diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Curr Opin Infect Dis 16: 97–101.

  • 17.

    Marco JD, Barroso PA, Mimori T, Locatelli FM, Tomatani A, Mora MC, Cajal SP, Nasser JR, Parada LA, Taniguchi T, Korenaga M, Basombrío MA, Hashiguchi Y, 2012. Polymorphism-specific PCR enhances the diagnostic performance of American tegumentary leishmaniasis and allows the rapid identification of Leishmania species from Argentina. BMC Infect Dis 12: 191.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 18.

    Kochar DK, Aseri S, Sharma BV, Bumb RA, Mehta RD, Purohit SK, 2000. The role of rifampicin in the management of cutaneous leishmaniasis. QJM 93: 733–737.

  • 19.

    Bumb RA, Mehta RD, 2002. Oral rifampicin in cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis with multiple lesions (a pilot study). Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 68: 272.

  • 20.

    Salim MM, Kandil E, 1972. Rifampicin in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. J Kuwait Med Assoc 6: 159–166.

  • 21.

    Sadeghian G, Nilfroushzadeh MA, Iraji F, 2007. Efficacy of local heat therapy by radiofrequency in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, compared with intralesional injection of meglumineantimoniate. Clin Exp Dermatol 32: 371–374.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 22.

    Bumb RA, Prasad N, Khandelwal K, Aara N, Mehta RD, Ghiya BC, Salotra P, Wei L, Peters S, Satoskar AR, 2013. Long-term efficacy of single-dose radiofrequency-induced heat therapy vs. intralesionalantimonials for cutaneous leishmaniasis in India. Br J Dermatol 168: 1114–1119.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 23.

    Dogra J, 1986. Dapsone in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Int J Dermatol 25: 398–401.

Past two years Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1702 1575 75
Full Text Views 336 15 0
PDF Downloads 117 11 0
 

 

 

 
 
Affiliate Membership Banner
 
 
Research for Health Information Banner
 
 
CLOCKSS
 
 
 
Society Publishers Coalition Banner
Save