Epidemiology, clinical pattern and impact of species-specific molecular diagnosis on management of leishmaniasis in Belgium, 2010–2018: A retrospective study

Background: Species-directed therapy of leishmaniasis has been recommended for travelers since 2014, but little is known about species distribution and treatment practices in non-endemic countries. We aimed to describe leishmaniasis cases in Belgium since species typing became available and evaluate its impact on patient management. Method: Retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed by PCR at our national reference laboratory from 2010 to 2018. Species were typed by Hsp-70 sequencing. Results: We identified 18 visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and 147 (muco)cutaneous leishmaniasis ((M)CL) case... Mehr ...