Pathogens (Sep 2021)

Treatment of Complex Cutaneous Leishmaniasis with Liposomal Amphotericin B

  • Maria Ubals,
  • Pau Bosch-Nicolau,
  • Adrián Sánchez-Montalvá,
  • Fernando Salvador,
  • Gloria Aparicio-Español,
  • Elena Sulleiro,
  • Aroa Silgado,
  • Antoni Soriano-Arandes,
  • Maria Espiau,
  • Berta Ferrer,
  • Diana Pou,
  • Begoña Treviño,
  • Israel Molina,
  • Vicente García-Patos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10101253
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 10
p. 1253

Abstract

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Background: There is no consensus for the best treatment of complex cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). We aimed to describe a cohort of CL, focusing on liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) treatment outcome. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (Barcelona, Spain). All patients with parasitologically proven CL diagnosed from 2012 to 2018 were included. Results: The analysis included 41 patients with CL. The median age was 39 years (IQR 12- 66); 12 (29%) were children, and 29 (71%) were men. Regarding treatment, 24 (59%) received local treatment, whereas 17 (41%) had complex CL and were offered intravenous systemic treatment. Sixteen patients received L-AmB; eight (50%) had adverse events, and three (19%) discontinued treatment for safety reasons. All cases were considered cured within the first year post-treatment. Conclusions: L-AmB for complex CL showed no treatment failures, offering an alternative treatment option for patients with complex CL. Clinicians should pay close attention to the potential adverse events of L-AmB and adopt an active drug safety surveillance scheme to rapidly detect reversible side effects.

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