Skin Leishmaniasis in an Infant in Bangui: First Documented Local Case in the Capital City of the Central African Republic and History of the Disease in the Country

Abstract

The aim of this work was to report the first case of cutaneous leishmaniasis observed in an infant residing in the city of Bangui. A 12-month-old infant, residing in Bangui, was brought in for consultation on September 11, 2020 for ulcerated budding lesions. The history of the disease is said to date back to May 2020 (4 months) with papules that have grown to ulcerate secondarily. The careful interrogation did not find any notion of displacement out of town or of a similar injury in those around him. Physical examination showed ulcerations 3 to 5 cm in diameter, thickened margin, granulomatous background in places, covered with scabs or serum in the limbs; the hypotheses of leishmaniasis, yaws, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis have been mentioned. Histology found kinetoplasts and the parasitological sample showed very many amastigotic forms of leishmanias. Treatment with metronidazole failed and the child was referred for pentamidine. This case of leishmaniasis in an infant who has never left the city of Bangui the capital suggests the possibility of the disease spreading throughout the country.