Treatment of pediatric cutaneous leishmaniasis with liposomal amphotericin B

The use of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is increasing. However, few data are available regarding the efficacy and safety of L-AmB in pediatric CL patients. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of L-AmB in pediatric CL patients. Pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary training and research hospital in a hyperendemic region for CL between January 2019 and May 2021 and receiving L-AmB therapy for CL were included in this retrospective study. L-AmB treatment was administered as 3 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days and on the 10th day, in a total of 6 doses (18 mg/kg total dose). A total of 52 pediatric patients who received L-AmB therapy for CL were included in the study. In the follow-up 3 months after L-AmB treatment, 16 (31%) patients showed complete clinical recovery, while treatment failure was detected in 36 (69%) patients. In conclusion, considering the low treatment success rate in our study, we think that the L-AmB dose used in our study is not an appropriate treatment option for the treatment of pediatric CL patients. However, we think that prospective studies with a large number of patients treated with higher doses of L-AmB and in whom the causative agents of CL were determined are needed.