Congenital kala-azar and leishmaniasis in the placenta

During an epidemic of visceral leishmaniasis in the Sudan, two cases of congenital kala-azar were seen. The first child, whose mother had contracted kala-azar in southern Sudan, was born in Khartoum, where no transmission of leishmaniasis is currently occurring. At seven months, the child had fever,...

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Published inThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 46; no. 1; p. 57
Main Authors Eltoum, I A, Zijlstra, E E, Ali, M S, Ghalib, H W, Satti, M M, Eltoum, B, el-Hassan, A M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.1992
Subjects
Adult
Autopsy
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - congenital
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - diagnosis
Placenta Diseases - parasitology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - parasitology
Sudan
Sudan
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Summary:During an epidemic of visceral leishmaniasis in the Sudan, two cases of congenital kala-azar were seen. The first child, whose mother had contracted kala-azar in southern Sudan, was born in Khartoum, where no transmission of leishmaniasis is currently occurring. At seven months, the child had fever, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly; leishmania parasites were detected in the bone marrow. The child died and an autopsy showed leishmania parasites in all tissues including the lungs, kidneys, and thymus. In the second case, parasites were found in the placenta of a five-month-old fetus. These two cases demonstrate the importance of follow-up of infants born to mothers with leishmaniasis.
ISSN:0002-9637
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.1992.46.57