A Case of Leishmania Infantum Mimicking Lymphoma

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by an obligate intracellular protozoon transmitted by infected sand flies. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a skin disease known in our country as oriental sore, which heals, leaving a scar in place, mainly on the skin and sometimes in the mucous membrane. Demonstration of the parasite in chronic CL is difficult. Moreover, differential diagnosis from other granulomatous dermatitides such as lupus vulgaris, sarcoidosis and deep mycosis is growing difficult. A case of CL was presented in an 84-year-old female patient who had a pre-diagnosis of lymphoma and a nodule lesion on her forehead for 2.5 months. In the smear of the sample taken from the lesion, amastigote forms of the parasite were diagnosed and typed as L. infantum by the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method.