Detection, identification and molecular typing of Leishmania major in Phlebotomus papatasi from a focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in central of Iran

Illegal waste disposal represents a risk health factor for vector-borne diseases by providing shelter for rodents and their ectoparasites. The presence of the Phlebotomus papatasi vector of Leishmania major, an etiologic agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), was assessed at illegal waste sites located at the vicinity of villages in endemic areas of Central Tunisia. The study was performed over a two-year period over three nights from July to September 2017, and over three nights in September 2018. Household waste is deposited illegally forming dumpsites at the vicinity of each village and contains several rodent burrows of Psammomys obesus, the main reservoir host of L. major. Sandflies were collected from rodent burrows in the natural environment and in dumpsites using sticky traps and were identified at species level. Female sandflies were tested for the presence of L. major by PCR. Our entomological survey showed that Phlebotomus papatasi is the most abundant sandfly species associated with rodent burrows in these waste sites. The densities of P. papatasi in dumpsites are significantly higher compared to the natural environment. The minimum infection rate of P. papatasi with L. major in these illegal waste sites is not significantly different compared to the natural environment. Considering the short flight range of P. papatasi, increases in its densities, associated with burrows of P. obesus in illegal waste sites located at the edge of villages, expands the overlap of infected ZCL vectors with communities. Thus, illegal waste sites pose a high risk of spreading ZCL to neighboring home ranges. Waste management is an environmentally friendly method of controlling sandfly populations and should be included in an integrated management program for controlling ZCL in endemic countries.

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Relationship Between the Distribution and Biodiversity of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) With the Incidence of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Endemic Foci of Golestan Province, Iran

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjaa114 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 57 (6) ◽

pp. 1768-1774

Author(s):

Aioub Sofizadeh ◽

Kamran Akbarzadeh ◽

Ehsan Allah Kalteh ◽

Fatemeh Karimi

Keyword(s):

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Wiener Index ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Phlebotomus Papatasi ◽

Light Traps ◽

Phlebotomine Sand Flies ◽

Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Golestan Province ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is prevalent in Golestan Province, Iran. The current study determined the relationship between the distribution and biodiversity of sand flies with cutaneous leishmaniasis at 14 villages in plain and hillsides areas. In each village from July to September 2017, 60 sticky traps and 2 CDC light traps were laid. Spearman and Mann–Whitney tests were used to determine the relationship between the incidence of ZCL and the abundance of different species of sand flies. Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Evenness, and Margalef indices were calculated to estimate the diversity of species. A total of 5,295 phlebotomine sand flies were collected, comprising 10 species of the genus Phlebotomus (3,947 flies) and 7 species of genus Sergentomyia (1,248 flies). The abundance of sand flies and incidence of ZCL in plain areas were greater than that of hillsides areas (P = 0.013, P = 0.002). There was a significant correlation between the incidence of ZCL and the abundance of Phlebotomus papatasi (r = 0.72, P = 0.004) and P. caucasicus groups (P = 0.006; 0.022). In the Shannon-Wiener index, the rest of the biodiversity indices were reduced in higher-altitude areas. Increasing Shannon-Wiener index showed higher diversity of sand flies in higher-altitude areas. Data of the reported cases of leishmaniasis in plain areas can reveal the relationship between less diversity index (Shannon-Wiener), higher dominant diversity index (Simpson), and incidence of leishmaniasis in these areas.

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Performance of an ELISA and Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay in Serological Diagnosis of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1155/2014/505134 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Bahador Sarkari ◽

Marzieh Ashrafmansouri ◽

GholamReza Hatam ◽

Parvaneh Habibi ◽

Samaneh Abdolahi Khabisi

Keyword(s):

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Leishmania Major ◽

Serological Test ◽

Antibody Test ◽

Immunofluorescence Assay ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Proper Diagnosis ◽

Indirect Immunofluorescent

Serological assays have been extensively evaluated for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and considered as a routine method for diagnosis of VL while these methods are not properly evaluated for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This study aimed to assess the performance of indirect immunofluorescent-antibody test (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran. Sixty-one sera samples from parasitologically confirmed CL patients and 50 sera from healthy controls along with 50 sera from non-CL patients were collected. Antigen was prepared from promastigotes and amastigotes ofLeishmania major. IFA was used to detect anti-LeishmaniaIgG while ELISA was used to detect anti-LeishmaniaIgM, total IgG, or IgG subclasses (IgG1 and 4). ELISA, for detection of total IgG and IgM, showed sensitivity of 83.6% and 84.7% and specificity of 62.7% and 54.6%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of ELISA for detecting IgG1 and IgG4 were 64%, 75% and 85%, 49%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of IFA were 91.6% and 81%.Conclusion. Findings of this study demonstrated that serological test, especially IFA, can be used for proper diagnosis of CL.

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Histological and immunological differences between zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania major and sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum

Parasite ◽

10.1051/parasite/2019007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Thouraya Boussoffara ◽

Mohamed Samir Boubaker ◽

Melika Ben Ahmed ◽

Mourad Mokni ◽

Ikram Guizani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Leishmania Major ◽

Histological Analysis ◽

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Interferon Γ ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Chemotactic Protein ◽

Polymerase Chain

Lesion features in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) depend on the infecting Leishmania species as well as on host immune reponse. In this study, we evaluated the histological and immunological differences between two forms of CL described in Tunisia: zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) caused by L. major and sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis (SCL) caused by L. infantum. Histological analysis showed a mild to moderate infiltrate within ZCL lesions. In contrast, massive infiltration of the dermis was observed within SCL lesions. Contrary to ZCL, infiltrates within SCL lesions were organized and showed granuloma composed of macrophages and lymphocytes. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis showed a predominance of CD4+ T cells within both CL forms. Furthermore, expression of interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-8, IL-13 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 was evaluated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). MCP-1 and IL-10 were expressed at comparable levels in ZCL and SCL lesions. Interestingly, IL-8 mRNA levels were significantly higher in ZCL lesions compared to SCL lesions, but interferon-γ was significantly higher in SCL lesions than in ZCL lesions.

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