Leishmanial infections: a consideration in travellers returning from abroad

Seven cases of leishmaniasis, including a fatal case of visceral leishmaniasis and 6 cases of dermal leishmaniasis, were seen in Boston over a four-year period. Diagnosis was made by isolation of organisms in culture or by identification of organisms in stained preparations of tissue. Proper management of patients with leishmanial infections requires an appreciation of the geographical strain differences of each species.