In vivo reflectance confocal microscopic imaging of Leishmania amastigotes (Leishman bodies): A case report.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an intracellular parasitic infectious skin disease with a chronic self-limited course. In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) findings in CL have been described in only two cases of CL. We report another case with RCM findings, however to our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Leishmania amastigotes in RCM imaging. A centrally eroded reddish nodular lesion with a diameter of 12 mm was observed on the leg of a 36-years-old male with a one-month history. On dermoscopy, a central yellowish crust, and irregularly distributed whitish opaque structures ranging in size and shape (round to polygonal) were observed. There were also irregular vessels mostly at the center and dotted/glomerular vessels at the periphery. On RCM, mild epidermal disarray with some scattered bright cells at the basal layer were observed. At the dermis, dense infiltration of polymorphic/roundish cells with heterogeneous reflectivity were seen. These large, mildly reflecting cells with fine granular structures in their cytoplasm were compatible with macrophages. Histopathology was concordant with CL. The Leishmania amastigotes seen as cytoplasmic granularity on RCM were the clue feature for the initial diagnosis, and this finding has not been previously described in the literature. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.