Epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in renal transplant recipients: experience from thirty cases

• Autor(a) principal: Silva, Avelar Alves de
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Pacheco-Silva, Alvaro [UNIFESP], Sesso, Ricardo de Castro Cintra [UNIFESP], Esmeraldo, Ronaldo de Matos, Oliveira, Claudia Maria Costa de, Fernandes, Paula Frassinetti Castelo Branco Camurca, Oliveira, Rodrigo Alves de, Silva, Leila Silveira Veira de, Carvalho, Valencio Pereira de, Costa, Carlos Henrique Nery, Andrade, Jesusmar Ximenes, Silva, Diana Marisa Barros da, Chaves, Roosevelt Valente
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12879-015-0852-9; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/38772
• topic: Visceral leishmaniasis; Renal transplant recipients; Infection after transplant

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania sp. and is transmitted by Lutzomyia longipalpis (sand fly). in renal transplant recipients, visceral leishmaniasis causes severe damage to the liver, spleen, and hematopoietic system, as well as poor outcomes for patients with transplanted kidneys. This study describes the largest series of cases of visceral leishmaniasis in renal transplant recipients, providing important information about the diagnostic routines and therapeutic strategies in this patient population.Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was performed to analyze the distribution and evaluate the extent of the epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of 30 renal transplant recipients from endemic regions who presented with visceral leishmaniasis in the post-transplantation period.Results: in this study, visceral leishmaniasis was more frequent in men (80%). the mean age of presentation was 40 +/- 10.5 years. the majority of patients worked in urban areas (66.7%), cohabitated with domestic animals (90%), and were from low-income households. in 73.3% of cases, diagnosis was made by direct isolation of Leishmania forms. Patients were treated with liposomal amphotericin, resulting in a high degree of disease remission (80%).Conclusions: This study describes the largest series of visceral leishmaniasis in renal transplant recipients and expands clinical-epidemiological knowledge for transplantation teams to perform adequate disease management for this specific patient population.