LARYNGEAL LEISHMANIASIS

A patient suffering from persistent hoarseness was eventually shown to have laryngeal leishmaniasis. The incubation period for the disease m ust have been at least 16 years, following infection in Southern Europ e. Mucosal leishmaniasis is rare in the Eastern hemisphere, and laryng eal leishmaniasis has not previously been reported in the UK. Previous Mediterranean cases have run a similar chronic course and have caused diagnostic difficulty, in particular being mistaken for malignancy. T reatment with aminosidine was ineffective, but the patient responded t o liposomal amphotericin.