A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis by a needlestick injury: an occupational infection or "experimental infection"?

Authors

Fabrício Marcus Oliveira, Translational Type 2 Immunity Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Science, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA; Cellular and Molecular Immunology Group, Rene Rachou Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Jacqueline Araujo Fiuza, Cellular and Molecular Immunology Group, Rene Rachou Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Soraya T. Gaze, Cellular and Molecular Immunology Group, Rene Rachou Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: soraya.gaze@fiocruz.br.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-24-2025

Journal

Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease

Volume

113

Issue

1

DOI

10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2025.116863

Keywords

Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Occupational accident; Occupational infection

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease caused by unicellular parasitic kinetoplastids of the genus Leishmania spp., with 20 species associated with human infections. This case report describes an accidental inoculation of Leishmania major suffered by a graduate student in a research and education institution laboratory. Eight months after the occupational accident, the student developed an erythematous, painless papule at the needlestick injury site. Within a week, the lesion worsened, showing ulceration and an increase in size. The diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis was based on clinical observations and confirmed by histopathological analysis, immunohistochemistry, and parasite culture. Following diagnosis, the patient was referred for treatment with a dosage of 81 mg SbV/kg of Glucantime, administered slowly via intravenous infusion diluted in 100 ml of 5 % glucose saline solution, every 24 h for 20 consecutive days. Furthermore, this case report emphasises the critical need for periodic training for research professionals to ensure their knowledge of protocols guiding prevention and response to occupational infections.

APA Citation

Oliveira, Fabrício Marcus; Fiuza, Jacqueline Araujo; and Gaze, Soraya T., "A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis by a needlestick injury: an occupational infection or "experimental infection"?" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6991.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6991

Department

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine