by Dahal P, Singh-Phulgenda S, Maguire BJ, Harriss E, Ritmeijer K, Alves F, Guerin PJ, Olliaro PL. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021; 15(8): e0009650. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009650
Summary: Women who are pregnant, lactating or susceptible to becoming pregnant are regularly excluded from clinical studies of visceral leishmaniasis. There is little knowledge of the consequences of visceral leishmaniasis and its treatment on mothers and the foetus. The authors performed a systematic review to identify cases of visceral leishmaniasis in pregnancy and assessed the risk-benefit balance of antileishmanial treatment to mothers and their children. The collated evidence derived mainly from case reports and case series, and the reported information was often incomplete. From the studies identified, it is difficult to derive generalizable information on outcomes for mothers and babies, although reported data favours the usage of liposomal amphotericin B for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in pregnant women.
