A NEW RECORD OF Leishmania de la costa pacifica de Colombia

The aim of this study was the identification of Leishmania species that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in a patient from Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, on the Pacifc coast of Colombia. Clinical samples were obtained from a 29 years-old male who presented a distinct ulcer with raised borders on his neck. Samples were taken for direct microscopic examination, parasite culture, and molecular identification of the infecting Leishmania species by sequencing of the cytochrome b gene. Direct examination was positive for amastigotes of Leishmania but the culture was negative. The infecting parasite species was identifed as L (V.) guyanensis by means of the nucleotide sequence of a 509 bp fragment of the cytochrome b gene. We report the presence of L (V.) guyanensis in rural areas of Buenaventura in Valle del Cauca, and the expansion of the geographical distribution of this species in the Pacifc region of Colombia.