Successful treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis using combined Lumenis ablative fractional laser resurfacing with laser-assisted delivery of topical paromomycin

On Jan. 1, Lee Dubay of BioOptics World reported that in a pilot study conducted by researchers at UC San Diego Medical school found that the combined treatment of ablative fractional laser resurfacing with laser-assisted delivery of topical paromomycin (an antibiotic) was effective in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin infection caused by a single-celled parasite that is transmitted by the bite of a phlebotomine sandfly.

According to the report, the oral fluconazole in conjunction with topical paromomycin healed all but the patient's largest wound, which was then treated with an ablative microfractionated 10,600-nm carbon dioxide laser (Lumenis; Yokneam, Israel) and topical paromomycin applied immediately after laser surgery. For more details read the report at http://www.bioopticsworld.com/articles/2016/01/laser-combination-therapy-shows-promise-for-cutaneous-leishmaniasis-treatment.html. Full details of the pilot study are available athttp://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lsm.22426.