LEISHMANIASIS AMONG DESERT-STORM VETERANS - A DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC DILEMMA

Troops stationed in the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield/St orm were potentially exposed to leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection t ransmitted by sandflies. In this region, infection primarily causes cu taneous and, less often, visceral disease. Visceral leishmaniasis. whi ch typically has an incubation period of several months, can be a diff icult diagnosis as it presents with a wide range of symptoms and there are no non-invasive, reliable diagnostic tests. Cutaneous leishmanias is is more easily diagnosed using culture and stained smears of biopsy and aspirate samples from skin lesions. Pentavalent antimonials are m ost often used to treat leishmaniasis; however, treatment is potential ly toxic and not recommended except in cases of documented disease.