title: Nonresponsiveness to standard treatment in cutaneous leishmaniasis: A case series from Sri Lanka.
abstract: Leishmaniasis is caused by parasitic protozoa of the genusLeishmania. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in Sri Lanka with over 3000 cases during the last decade and numbers are increasing. Treatment options available in Sri Lanka for CL include intralesional/intramuscular sodium stibogluconate and cryotherapy. Eight cases of treatment failure with standard therapy are reported from the Dermatology Clinic, Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura. Therapeutic regimes aim for clinical healing, these patients responded poorly to anti-leishmanial therapy, indicating the need for close monitoring, explore alternative treatment options and to investigate for drug resistance in parasites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Fathima Wardha
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Refai
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Unit, Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Nayani P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Madarasingha
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Rohini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernandopulle
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Nadira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karunaweera
keywords: Leishmania donovani; skin lesions; sodium stibogluconate