ABSTRACT
The skin is the first line of defense between the body and the environment, protecting the body from toxic chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, microorganisms, and mechanical trauma. However, if skin barrier is destroyed as a result of any accident such as burns, wounds, bites, ulceration, or laceration, infections may occur. Mycobacterial diseases may be divided in three categories: tuberculosis, leprosy, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. A parasite is an organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered from or at the expense of its host. Some parasites do not affect the host while others make the host sick resulting in a parasitic infection. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is considered the most serious protozoan skin infection in many developing countries with an annual incidence estimated between 0.7 and 1.2 million cases. In CL, a non-fatal condition, treatment aims to prevent mucosal invasion, to accelerate the healing of skin lesions and to avoid disfiguring scars.
