American cutaneous leishmaniasis in French Guiana: a retrospective comparison between liposomal amphotericin B and meglumine antimoniate

Abstract : New World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in many countries of Latin America, including French Guiana 1. While pentamidine is the first‐line treatment against Leishmania guyanensis in this territory 2, pentavalent antimonials such as meglumine antimoniate (MA) are recommended in case of L. braziliensis or pentamidine‐resistant strains of other species 2. Liposomal amphotericin B (L‐AmB) (Ambisome ®) is widely used against fungi and visceral leishmaniasis 3. However, data concerning its efficacy in New World CL are scarce and contradictory 4‐7. Due to a shortage in MA, the Cayenne Hospital started using L‐AmB as an alternative in 2015. We conducted a retrospective study to compare efficacy and safety of L‐AmB and MA in patients treated for CL.