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Case Report | DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22797826

Pancytopenia Revealing Visceral Leishmaniasis in A Renal Transplant Recipient: A Case Report and Literature Review

G. Khellaf 1,2*

1 University of Health Sciences Dr. Youcef El Khatib, Faculty of Medicine, Algiers, Algeria

2 Department of Nephrology, Bab El Oued University Hospital, Algiers, Algeria

*Corresponding Author: G. Khellaf, University of Health Sciences Dr. Youcef El Khatib, Faculty of Medicine, Algiers, Algeria

Citation: G. Khellaf (2026). Pancytopenia Revealing Visceral Leishmaniasis in A Renal Transplant Recipient: A Case Report and Literature Review, J International Journal of Public Health Research and Epidemiology; 2 (5) 26,Doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22797826

Copyright: G. Khellaf, et al © (2026). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Received: 20 August 2026 | Accepted: 26 August 2026 | Published: 09 September 2026

Keywords: visceral leishmaniasis; kidney transplantation; pancytopenia; immunosuppression; kabylie; algeria; bone marrow biopsy

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe parasitic infection endemic in several regions of Algeria including Kabylie, the High Plateaus, and the Biskra region. In renal transplant recipients, chronic immunosuppression promotes the reactivation or acquisition of this infection, whose clinical presentation can be atypical, dominated by pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, and fever. We report the case of a 24-year-old female renal transplant recipient from Kabylie, hospitalized for investigation of profound pancytopenia. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of bone marrow biopsy, which revealed the presence of Leishmania amastigotes. The patient underwent a transient reduction of her immunosuppressive therapy and received specific anti-leishmanial treatment. The outcome was marked by a recurrence and progressive deterioration of graft function over four years. This case illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of visceral leishmaniasis in transplant recipients, highlighting the importance of considering this diagnosis in any unexplained pancytopenia in patients from endemic areas, and the need for a multidisciplinary approach.

References

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