title: A sporadic case of visceral leishmaniasis from Kocaeli, Turkey.
abstract: Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis are endemic in the western and southeastern parts of Turkey. We report a sporadic case of visceral leishmaniasis from Kocaeli, which is not an endemic area. The patient, a 10-month-old male infant, had since birth never been outside the city. He was referred to our hospital with a one-month history of fever. Antibiotics were administered but fever persisted. There were Leishman bodies in the bone marrow aspirate, both in macrophages and in clusters among other cells. Immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) detected no antibodies in the mother. Liposomal amphotericin B was administered. Visceral leishmaniasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with persistant fever, hepatosplenomegaly and cytopenia, even in nonendemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Bacteriology and Infectious Diseases, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey. drmelihameric@gmail.com
authors.forename: Meliha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meriç
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aydogan
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sarper
authors.forename: Emin Sami
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Arisoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan