Spleen nodules: a potential hallmark of Visceral Leishmaniasis in young children

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe disease caused by Leishmania infantum in the Mediterranean basin, and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Infantile VL may begin suddenly, with high fever and vomiting, or insidiously, with irregular daily fever, anorexia, and marked splenomegaly. Delays in diagnosis of VL are common, highlighting the need for increased awareness of clinicians for VL in endemic European countries. CASE PRESENTATION: We report 4 cases of young children in northern Italy presenting with persistent fever of unknown origin and diagnosed with VL by serological and molecular methods. At the time of diagnosis, these patients showed an unusual echographic pattern characterized by multiple iso-hypoechoic nodules associated with splenomegaly. CONCLUSION: We suggest that detection of spleen nodules represents a signature of VL in infants, thus helping to diagnose systemic Leishmania infantum infection in children. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0620-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.