Gastric leishmaniasis in an immunocompromised patient: a case report
- 1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
Abstract
Background: Leishmaniasis is a tropical infection that usually presents as a cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral disease. The most common organs involved in visceral leishmaniasis are the liver, spleen, and bone marrow; involvement of the stomach is rare, with only a few cases reported to date.
Case Summary: We present a 45-year-old male with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and a history of visceral leishmaniasis. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to pancytopenia. During the workup, low vitamin B12 levels and elevated intrinsic factor antibodies raised suspicion of atrophic gastritis, prompting endoscopy for gastric mapping.
Conclusion: The patient was diagnosed with gastric leishmaniasis. Several macrophages containing intracellular amastigotes were seen. PCR analysis of the bone marrow biopsy identified the organism as Leishmania donovani/infantum/chagasi. This case underscores the critical value of histologic examination, with the diagnosis relying on recognition based on routine histology, confirmed by molecular testing.
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BibTeX
@article{rehman2026gastric,
title = {{Gastric leishmaniasis in an immunocompromised patient: a case report}},
author = {Asad Ur Rehman and Alexander Banerjee and Bennett Christie-Nguyen and Antonio Galvao Neto and Violeta Chavez and Rossana Kazemimood},
journal = {ASM case reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1128/asmcr.00136-26},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729752},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gastric leishmaniasis in an immunocompromised patient: a case report
AU - Asad Ur Rehman
AU - Alexander Banerjee
AU - Bennett Christie-Nguyen
AU - Antonio Galvao Neto
AU - Violeta Chavez
AU - Rossana Kazemimood
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - ASM case reports
DO - 10.1128/asmcr.00136-26
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729752
AB - Background: Leishmaniasis is a tropical infection that usually presents as a cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral disease. The most common organs involved in visceral leishmaniasis are the liver, spleen, and bone marrow; involvement of the stomach is rare, with only a few cases reported to date. Case Summary: We present a 45-year-old male with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and a history of visceral leishmaniasis. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to pancytopenia. During the workup, low vitamin B12 levels and elevated intrinsic factor antibodies raised suspicion of atrophic gastritis, prompting endoscopy for gastric mapping. Conclusion: The patient was diagnosed with gastric leishmaniasis. Several macrophages containing intracellular amastigotes were seen. PCR analysis of the bone marrow biopsy identified the organism as Leishmania donovani/infantum/chagasi. This case underscores the critical value of histologic examination, with the diagnosis relying on recognition based on routine histology, confirmed by molecular testing.
SN - 2996-2684
ER -