Abstract
Human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum is endemic in southern and north-eastern Iran. A suspected case of this disease is often confirmed by the detection of amastigotes in smears of bone-marrow or splenic aspirates but the development of PCR-based assays for the detection of leishmanial DNA has allowed more sensitive and rapid detection and identification of the parasites. VL is usually easy to diagnose clinically but unusual presentations such as those caused by intestinal involvement may be more difficult to identify. Intestinal pathology is rarely observed in VL and is almost always associated with immunodeficiency caused by co-infection with HIV. Three cases of intestinal leishmaniasis all in young immunocompetent children are described below. All three presented at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) in southern Iran and were seronegative (and without any risk factors) for HIV infection. (excerpt)
Published Version
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