Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and leprosy share common areas of prevalence, but reports of coinfection are scarce.
METHODS:
We report a series of 9 ATL-leprosy cases and discuss the association. An integrative diagram to analyze the clinico-immunological features of coinfection with both diseases.
RESULTS:
Nine patients with leishmaniasis (5 cutaneous, 3 mucocutaneous, 1 disseminated case) exhibited concurrent infection with distinct clinical forms of leprosy. Our diagram-based analysis evidenced a divergent clinico-immunological spectrum for each disease in 8 out of 9 cases.
CONCLUSIONS:
The spectrum of ATL-leprosy comorbidity suggests that the host has a specific immune response against each pathogen.
Keywords:
Leishmaniasis; leprosy; Coinfection; Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis