Disseminated mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in a patient with advanced HIV
). Biopsy of a forearm lesion and endobronchial tissue obtained at bronchoscopy revealed intracellular amastigotes consistent with leishmaniasis. Leishmania PCR on endobronchial tissue detected Leishmania donovani/infantum/chagasi complex, and plasma microbial cell-free DNA testing (Karius) confirmed L. infantum. The patient received intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and restarted on antiretroviral therapy; he was discharged to receive induction and maintenance amphotericin B infusions with outpatient HIV clinic follow-up. This case illustrates the diagnostic challenges of disseminated leishmaniasis in severely immunocompromised patients in nonendemic settings and underscores the importance of early recognition and a tiered diagnostic approach in high-risk populations.
Authors
- Shirisha Pasula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8930-944X)
- Nancy Dang-Orita
- Nandini Nukala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0991-8579)
- Almira Opardija
Institutions
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Nova Southeastern University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2026-04-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2026.108692
- Primary Topic
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00