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Diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
[ Epidemiology of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis
Natural foci are located in forested areas in the East (1500-2000 m above sea level): Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The main natural reservoirs of the pathogen are hyraxes, and the carriers are Ph. longipes, whose breeding and daytime habitats are caves, tree hollows, human buildings, rodent burrows, etc.
What causes diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis?
The causative agent of this disease is L. aephiopica, which has a very limited distribution on the African continent (Kenya, Ethiopia) and causes a variety of symptoms of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Symptoms of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis
Diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis is a long-term disease (up to several years), with no tendency to spontaneous recovery. Infiltrative skin rashes are generalized, almost never ulcerate, but do not resolve either.
Symptoms of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis are similar to Central Asian zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Rare complications include lesions of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat and the development of diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis. Lesions of the nose, mouth and throat are manifested by infiltrates, papules and multiple nodes on the face and upper extremities, resembling the lepromatous form of leprosy. Lesions of the eyebrows and nose cause a "lion's face" picture.
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Treatment of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis
Treatment of diffuse (Ethiopian) cutaneous leishmaniasis is ineffective in most cases, but some patients are helped by the antimonial drug pentamidine, as well as the antibiotic amphotericin B.