Visceral leishmaniasis–human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in a 52-year-old male in southwest Iran: a case report

BACKGROUND: Leishmaniasis is a rare infectious disease observed in subtropical and tropical areas. This disease that demonstrates different clinical characteristics is caused by intracellular Leishmania protozoan. One of the important countries facing the incidence of this infectious disease is Iran. Recently, human immunodeficiency virus–Leishmania coinfection has been indicated in Iran. CASE PRESENTATION: In the present case report, we show an atypical case of severe visceral leishmaniasis in a 52-year-old Iranian-Arab male with positive human immunodeficiency virus status. Leishmaniasis was detected by node biopsy and subsequently histopathology evaluations and confirmed by molecular methods. CONCLUSIONS: The current study was the first report of an atypical case of a patient with Leishmania–human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in southwestern Iran, which was not responsive to the treatment. Therefore, the health authorities should be aware of these reports, which require permanent clinical follow-up of the patients as well as effective treatments.