Autochthonous leprosy in Europe: a case report and literature review

Quentin Beauvillain; Catherine Lok; Camille Joachim; Farida Hamdad; Eva Lafabregue; Christophe Attencourt; Henri Sevestre; Guillaume Chaby

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2021.07.023

Autochthonous leprosy in Europe: a case report and literature review

Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Sep:110:111-113. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.07.023. Epub 2021 Jul 13.

Authors

Quentin Beauvillain¹, Catherine Lok², Camille Joachim³, Farida Hamdad⁴, Eva Lafabregue⁵, Christophe Attencourt⁶, Henri Sevestre⁷, Guillaume Chaby⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Dermatology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Dermatology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Bacteriology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80054, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Dermatology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Department of Pathology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Department of Pathology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Department of Dermatology, Amiens-Picardie University Hospital, 80080, Amiens, France. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 34271204
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.07.023

Abstract

Leprosy is currently uncommon in Europe: the diagnosed cases are almost all imported from endemic areas. We report on an autochthonous case of borderline lepromatous leprosy in a 71-year-old Portuguese woman. The case was complicated by a reversal reaction and then by erythema nodosum leprosum. A literature review identified 18 reported cases of European autochthonous leprosy since 2000; all but one were observed in Mediterranean countries. Therefore, active clusters of leprosy persist in Europe, particularly in Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Italy.

Keywords: Autochthonous leprosy; Europe; Hansen's disease; Immune reactions.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Erythema Nodosum*
Europe
Female
Humans
Hypersensitivity*
Leprosy* / diagnosis
Leprosy* / drug therapy
Leprosy* / epidemiology
Leprosy, Lepromatous* / diagnosis
Leprosy, Lepromatous* / drug therapy
Leprosy, Multibacillary*