Pediatric Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Private Clinic of Abidjan, Ivory Coast: A Case Report

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a zoonotic disease with global distribution, especially in underdeveloped countries. This parasitic disease is caused by the bite of an infected sandfly.

We report here the first case of cutaneous leishmaniasis discovered incidentally in an 11-year-old child in a private clinic. He is a primarian boy who had a wound located on his left leg. On questioning, we ascertained that the wound was not the first one and had been present for about 2 months. The cutaneous lesion was painless but itchy. The location, the crateriform appearance, and the chronic nature of the wound led us to suspect a case of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Microscopic examination of cutaneous exsudation’s smears of lesions revealed amastigote forms of leishmania, confirming our diagnostic hypothesis. The child was placed under Imidazole-based treatment associate cloxacilline. The child also received local gentamycin-based dressings.

The child was cured after one month. The diagnostic issues of cutaneous leishmaniasis constitute a great challenge for practitioners in endemic zone. Also, a systematic differential diagnostic should be required in the face of chronic wounds.

The integration of the screening and management of cutaneous leishmaniasis against Buruli ulcer are eagerly waited as a future work.