FIRST CASE OF AUTOCHTHONOUS HUMAN VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IN THE URBAN CENTER OF RIO DE JANEIRO: CASE REPORT

Visceral leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonosis that is caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, especially Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, and is transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies of the genus Lutzomyia, such as Lutzomyia longipalpis. There are many reservoirs, including Canis famil...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guilherme Almeida Rosa da Silva, Thiago de Oliveira Boechat, Fernando Raphael de Almeida Ferry, Jorge Francisco da Cunha Pinto, Marcelo Costa Velho Mendes de Azevedo, Ricardo de Souza Carvalho, Rogerio Neves Motta, Mariana Ferreira Veras
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2014-01-01
Series:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652014000100081&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Visceral leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonosis that is caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, especially Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, and is transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies of the genus Lutzomyia, such as Lutzomyia longipalpis. There are many reservoirs, including Canis familiaris. It is a chronic infectious disease with systemic involvement that is characterized by three phases: the initial period, the state period and the final period. The main symptoms are fever, malnutrition, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. This article reports a case of a patient diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis in the final period following autochthonous transmission in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro. The case reported here is considered by the Municipal Civil Defense and Health Surveillance of Rio de Janeiro to be the first instance of autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis in humans in the urban area of this city. The patient was discharged and is undergoing a follow-up at the outpatient clinic, demonstrating clinical improvement.
ISSN:1678-9946