American tegumentary leishmaniasis, popularly known by the names: "bauru ulcer", "tapir nose" and "angry wound", is characterized by presenting Painless sores on the skin or mucous membranes of the affected individual. It is caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, such as the L. braziliensis, L. guyanensis and L. amazonensis: parasites of mammalian vertebrates.
Female mosquitoes of the Lutzomyia genus are the vectors. These, of small size (smaller than mosquitoes), can also be called straw mosquito, birigui, cangalhinha, bererê, white-wing or hard-wing. They live in damp and dark places, preferring regions where there is accumulation of organic waste, and they move by means of short, bouncy flights.
The disease is endemic to the Amazon, but it occurs in several regions of the world, not being restricted to to forests, but also present in urban environments, due to the destruction of vegetation cover natives
When an individual is stung, he can develop the wound in about ten days to three months, if the vector is hosting these protozoa. The lesion will have its characteristics influenced by the species of Leishmania and the person's immunological conditions, often occurring in regions of the body uncovered by clothing.
In the most common form (cutaneous), it starts small, rounded, deep and has a reddish edge, growing progressively. Only one or more may appear. In most cases they are not cured naturally, nor with the use of common healing medicines.
At cutaneousmucosal form, evolution of the first one, there is the presence of wounds in the nose, mouth or throat whose increase can compromise these structures. In diffuse skin, nodules appear in various regions of the body, especially in the limbs.
At scars These ulcerations may remain and, if the treatment is not done correctly, after months or years the disease may reappear.
For diagnosis blood tests can be done to find specific antibodies; biopsy or scraping of the lesion. O treatment it is done not only with a view to clinical cure, but also to prevent the disease from progressing to other, more severe forms, and also to prevent recurrences. As an allopathic, a pentavalent antimony may be prescribed. When treatment with this does not show satisfactory results, immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis may be required.
The use of appropriate clothing and use of repellent when in a forest environment, visit the doctor in cases of wounds, properly dispose of waste, avoid bathing from the river at dusk and, in addition to avoiding domestic animals with characteristic wounds, seek the city hall so that their blood is collected for analysis. important measures to avoid cases of tegumentary leishmaniasis. The use of certain screens and mosquito nets may not be effective given the small vector size.
THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH WARNS:
Self-medication can have unwanted and unanticipated effects, as the wrong medicine not only does not cure, it can worsen your health.
See too:
visceral leishmaniasis
By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/doencas/leishmaniose-tegumentar.htm
