Elsevier

American Journal of Otolaryngology

Volume 30, Issue 4, July–August 2009, Pages 285-287
American Journal of Otolaryngology

Case report
Leishmaniasis of the auricle mimicking carcinoma

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2008.06.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Leishmaniasis of the auricle has been rarely reported in our region of the world, where it is labeled as “Old World Leishmaniasis." It may mimick other pathologies, such as malignancies or other infectious processes. We present a case of an auricular Leishmania lesion which was first suspected to be a carcinoma. Four previous auricular Old World Leishmania cases have been reported. The epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of this entity are briefly reviewed.

Section snippets

Case presentation

A 73-year-old male patient from Syria presented with left ear swelling of 2 months' duration. The swelling was preceded by the appearance of a left auricular lesion which was erythematous, raised, with a central ulcer. It was partially resected in another hospital, but was not sent to pathology. The lesion continued to grow and to spread with increased swelling despite treatment with several courses of antibiotics including amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, clindamycin, and ciprofloxacin. There was

Discussion

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the protozoon Leishmania, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female sandfly [1]. Most infections exist as zoonoses among wild and domestic animals, such as rodents and dogs [1]. There are around 1.5 million cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis per year [2]. Neto el al [3] described Leishmania as one of the 6 most important infectious parasites in the world. Its prevalence in humans can be 1% to 2%, and it rises with age indicating frequent exposure

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