Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran: A review of epidemiological aspects, with emphasis on molecular findings

Abstract

Leishmania parasites can cause zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) by circulating between humans, rodents, and sandflies in Iran. In this study, published data were collected from scientific sources such as Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Springer, ResearchGate, Wiley Online, Ovid, Ebsco, Cochrane Library, Google scholar, and SID. Keywords searched in the articles, theses, and abstracts from 1983 to 2021 were cutaneous leishmaniasis, epidemiology, reservoir, vector, climatic factors, identification, and Iran. This review revealed that CL was prevalent in the west of Iran, while the center and south of Iran were also involved in recent years. The lack of facilities in suburban regions was an aggravating factor in the human community. Some parts of southern Iran were prominent foci of CL due the presence of potential rodent hosts in these regions. Rhombomys opimus, Meriones lybicus, and Tatera indica were well-documented species for hosting the Leishmania species in Iran. Moreover, R. opimus has been found with a coinfection of Leishmania major and L. turanica from the northeast and center of Iran. Mashhad, Kerman, Yazd, and sometimes Shiraz and Tehran foci were distinct areas for L. tropica. Molecular identifications using genomic diagnosis of kDNA and ITS1 fragments of the parasite indicated that there is heterogeneity in leishmaniasis in different parts of the country. Although cutaneous leishmaniasis has been a predicament for the health system, it is relatively under control in Iran.

Evaluation of Immunity Responses Against Excretory-Secretory and Lysate Antigens Purified from Leishmania major

“…Furthermore, the important centers in Isfahan are Barkhar, Mimeh, Ardestan, Natanz, Aran-Bidgol, and Kashan (27,28). Studies in the field of human leishmaniasis revealed that INF-γ and IL12 (Th1 profile) play a determining role in protecting against the disease and IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2 profile) in maintaining the disease (29,30). When anti-ESA is present in the environment, the average level of IL-4 secretion in PBMCs cultured with different Leishmania antigens exhibits the lowest amount of this cytokine.…”

Molecular Survey of Leishmania Infection of Sand Flies in Karun County, Southwestern Iran

“…The prevalence of leishmaniasis in the Old World is mostly in the Middle East. Furthermore, cutaneous leishmaniasis has a high prevalence in 12 countries, Algeria, Colombia, Brazil, Iran, Syria, Peru, Morocco, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia (2). Cutaneous leishmaniasis cases are currently common in many rural areas of 19 out of 31 provinces of Iran (3,4).…”