In Vitro Reduced Susceptibility to Pentavalent Antimonials of a <i>Leishmania infantum</i> Isolate from a Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Case in Central Italy

• Main Authors: Aurora Diotallevi, Gloria Buffi, Giovanni Corbelli, Marcello Ceccarelli, Margherita Ortalli, Stefania Varani, Mauro Magnani, Luca Galluzzi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Microorganisms
• Subjects: <i>Leishmania infantum</i>; antimonials; resistance; cutaneous leishmaniasis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/6/1147

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Leishmania</i>) <i>infantum</i> is endemic in the Mediterranean basin. Here we report an autochthonous case of CL in a patient living in central Italy with an unsatisfactory response to treatment with intralesional Meglumine Antimoniate and in vitro demonstration of reduced susceptibility to SbIII. Parasitological diagnosis was first achieved by histopathology on tissue biopsy and the patient was treated with a local infiltration of Meglumine Antimoniate. Since the clinical response at 12 weeks from the treatment’s onset was deemed unsatisfactory, two further skin biopsies were taken for histopathological examination, DNA extraction and parasite isolation. <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> was identified by molecular typing. The low susceptibility to Meglumine Antimoniate was confirmed in vitro: the promastigotes from the patient strain showed significantly lower susceptibility to SbIII (the active trivalent form of antimonial) compared to the reference strain MHOM/TN/80/IPT1. The patient underwent a new treatment course with intravenous liposomal Amphotericin B, reaching complete healing of the lesion. Additional studies are needed to confirm the epidemiological and clinical relevance of reduced susceptibility to SbIII of human <i>L.</i> (<i>L</i>.) <i>infantum</i> isolate in Italy.