[Cutaneous leishmaniasis misdiagnosed as epithelial skin cancer].

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis, transmitted by sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus, is one of the most important traveler's dermatoses in Germany. In recent years, an increased incidence of the disease has been observed in travelers returning from endemic areas, including the Mediterranean region of Spain and Italy. In these regions, Leishmania infantum belonging to the Leishmania donovani complex is characteristically the most frequently detected pathogen. We herein report two cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum with solitary or multilocular lesions, initially misdiagnosed as actinic keratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.