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Updated: May 3, 2026
In vivo Imaging of Transgenic Leishmania Parasites in a Live Host
Published on: July 27, 2010
In vivo confocal microscopy features of cutaneous leishmaniasis
Ivette Alarcon1, Cristina Carrera, Susana Puig
1Melanoma Unit, Dermatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is widely distributed, Spain being a hypoendemic region. Noninvasive bedside detection of the histopathologic response to the intracellular organism that allows rapid diagnosis and prompt therapy could be the ideal tool to manage a commonly self-healing lesion. Confocal microscopy is a technique which allows in vivo examination of the skin at cellular resolution.
Methods:
We describe the in vivo confocal microscopic features of cutaneous leishmaniasis, finding a correlation with dermoscopy and histopathology.
Conclusions And Relevance:
This case illustrates the capability of confocal microscopy to characterize the cutaneous infection by Leishmania organisms and to perform a noninvasive diagnosis.
