Cutaneous Leishmaniasis During Pregnancy, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Death: A Case Report



Pokutnaya D¹ ; Shirzadi MR^{2, 3} ; Salari E⁴ ; Molaei G^{5, 6, 7}
Source: Iranian Journal of Parasitology Published:2020

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an emergent public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Reports of pregnancy complications are scarce; however, as the endemic range of CL expands in Iran, there is concern of possible detrimental effects on fetal development amongst infected mothers through pla-cental transmission of the parasite or enhanced maternal immune responses. We herein describe the first known case of persistent anthroponotic CL, plausibly re-sponsible for pregnancy complications, preterm birth, and neonatal death in a healthy Iranian primigravida woman. Diagnosis was based on physical examina-tions of the lesions on the back of both calves of the patient and laboratory anal-yses including direct smear, culture, and PCR. During active CL infection, the patient gave birth to a premature female neonate who passed three days post-delivery due to immature lung development and subsequent respiratory distress syndrome. This report highlights the challenges associated with CL infection during pregnan-cy, exacerbation of lesions, and subsequent complications. © 2020, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.