Visceral Leishmaniasis: An Unusual Cause of Bone Marrow Failure in Jos, Nigeria-A Case Report and Review of Literature

Visceral leishmaniasis is an uncommon parasitic disease in our environment. It can present with features of bone marrow failure characterized by anaemia, leucopenia, and thrombocytopenia which can be fatal if untreated.

We present the case of a 23-year-old male, a foreign undergraduate student in a Cyprus University who presented with a 10 months history of recurrent fever, easy fatigability and abdominal enlargement. History, physical examination and investigations carried out including a bone marrow aspiration cytology led to a diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

He was successfully managed using amphotericin B infusion and packed red blood cells transfusion.

Leishmaniasis and other common tropical diseases have overlapping symptoms and signs but with a high index of suspicion and prompt specialist intervention, fatal complications can be averted.