New evidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in north-eastern Italy

Background Human leishmaniasis is on increase the in Mediterranean Europe. However, the exact prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is largely unknown as underdiagnosis and underreporting are common. Objective To evaluate epidemiological, clinico-pathological and microbiological aspects of CL cases occurring in the Bologna province, north-eastern Italy. Methods We performed a retrospective, observational study on CL cases diagnosed in the Bologna province between January 2013 and December 2015. Results During 2013-2015, 30 cases of CL were identified in the Bologna province with an average incidence of 1.00/100,000, with an increase of 4-12 fold as compared to previous years. 16/30 (53%) CL cases presented as single, typical lesions. CL diagnosis was carried out by histological and molecular techniques, although in 6 out of 29 (21%) PCR-positive cases amastigotes were not visible on histology. Conclusions We report new evidence of CL cases in a focal area of north-eastern Italy in 2013-2015. Our study highlights the importance of CL surveillance in the Mediterranean basin and emphasizes the need for the molecular laboratory surveillance of CL in endemic areas. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.