A 22-Year Survey of Leishmaniasis Cases in a Tertiary-Care Hospital in an Endemic Setting

Adriana Calderaro, Sara Montecchini, Sabina Rossi, Chiara Gorrini, Maria Loretana Dell'Anna, Giovanna Piccolo, Maria Cristina Medici, Maria Cristina Arcangeletti, Carlo Chezzi and Flora De Conto
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Adriana Calderaro: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Sara Montecchini: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Sabina Rossi: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Chiara Gorrini: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Maria Loretana Dell'Anna: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Giovanna Piccolo: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Maria Cristina Medici: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Maria Cristina Arcangeletti: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Carlo Chezzi: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Flora De Conto: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: The northward spread of leishmaniasis from Mediterranean to Continental Europe affects our area where it is typically associated with Leishmania infantum infection. In this study a 22-year survey was performed in patients (including both patients with and without history of travel through endemic areas other than Italy) attending the University Hospital of Parma, Northern Italy, in order to make a contribution to describe the cases of the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) diagnosed in this area. One hundred fifty-six samples from 134 patients with clinical suspicion of leishmaniasis (96 suspected of having VL, 37 CL and one both VL and CL) were analyzed in our laboratory during 1992–2013 by microscopy, culture and, from 2005, also by real-time PCR. Leishmania spp. were detected in 23 samples of 15 patients (seven with VL and eight with CL), representing an infection rate of 11.2%. The figure of the cases of leishmaniasis herein reported, even if not comparable to that described for Italian areas other than Parma, underlines that suitable tools are mandatory for correct diagnosis. Moreover, the severity of this disease, particularly VL with its documented northward spread, requires physicians of continental Europe to increase their attention about the possibility of suspecting leishmaniasis in patients reporting related signs and symptoms and/or risk factors.

Keywords: visceral leishmaniasis; cutaneous leishmaniasis; Leishmania spp.; diagnosis; culture; epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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