Studies in mediterranean leishmaniasis

Pampiglione, S; Manson‐Bahr, Philip; Placa, M. La; Borgatti, M.; Musumeci, Salvatore

doi:10.1016/0035-9203(75)90012-7

Cited by 96 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The high prevalence of antibodies against kala-azar suggested that subclinical infections in man, particularly in the Sharis area, are common and important in the spread of kala-azar in Yemen. This is similar to the results reported by Pampiglione et al, 24 where they found that 44% of the study population had antibodies in their blood and only 3% of them had clinical infection. Cross-reacting antibodies are commonly seen in ELISA and numerous conflicting reports are found in the literature, quite often with discrepant results.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Seroprevalence of Kala-Azar Among Humans and Dogs in Yemen

Al-Shamahy

1998

Ann Saudi Med

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HA Al-Shamahy, Seroprevalence of Kala-Azar Among Humans and Dogs in Yemen. 1998; 18(1): 66-68 Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) is a major cause of fever in the world, and is estimated to affect 100 million people worldwide.1 Kala-azar was first reported from the northern part of Yemen over 90 years ago. 2 Sporadic cases of the disease, however, are now widely reported from all over the country, including the governorates of Sana'a, Taiz, Ibb, Al-Hodeidah, Hajjah, Damar, Sa'adah, Al-Mahweet, Mareb, and Al-Jawf. Nearly 4047 cases, mostly in young children, have been reported during the last decade.3 The scarce information of the disease epidemiology in Yemen showed that the causative organisms were Leishmania donovani complex and L. infantum complex, and vectors were Phlebotomus orientalis and P. arbicus for L. infantum and L. donovani. [4][5][6] In addition, a few other infantile cases were reported from the northern part of Yemen.7,8 Michie 9 described four adult cases from the southern part of Yemen.Canine leishmaniasis was discovered by Nicole and Comte in 1908, 10 and since then reports of infected dogs have come from almost all human visceral leishmaniasis foci in the Mediterranean area.11-13 Dogs are an efficient reservoir host because parasitized fixed macrophages are so abundant in the dermal layer that parasites are readily taken up by feeding sandflies.14,15 Canine leishmaniasis was reported by Rioux et al. from human visceral leishmaniasis focus in the Taiz area of Yemen.The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of kala-azar among children in selected localities in Yemen, and to identify the natural reservoir of human kala-azar in these areas, focusing particularly on dogs, with a view to determining infection rates among them and their role in the transmission of the disease to humans. Materials and MethodsThe study was conducted in December 1993 in three selected villages where cases of kala-azar had been reported during the year, and also in the city of Sana'a. The study population consisted of volunteer schoolchildren in Beni-Mansur (Al-Haymah, Sana'a province), Huth (Sana'a province) and in Sana'a city. Based on an expected kala-azar prevalence of 10% and the worst acceptable value of 4%, not less than 270 randomly selected subjects were needed out of a total estimated 100,000 children, at a confidence level of 99.9%.A systematic random sampling of every fifth child was done. A sample of 285 subjects were selected, comprising 68 subjects from Beni-Mansur, 85 from Huth, 75 from Sharis and 57 from Sana'a city.All study participants completed an epidemiological questionnaire and gave informed consent to participate in the study. Basic demographic data, including age, sex, address, and altitude of the house, were obtained, as well as potential risks factors for kala-azar. Serological AssayA 5 mL aliquot of venous blood was allowed to clot and the serum was separated and stored at -20°C until serological analyses were performed. All the sera were tested for kala-azar using ...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Seroprevalence of Kala-Azar Among Humans and Dogs in Yemen

Al-Shamahy

1998

Ann Saudi Med

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“…Here, we report specimens of both P. halepensis (43% of total sand fly population in Kutaisi) and P. balcanicus (56% of total) infected with Leishmania parasites in Western Georgia (first time described in the country). Using the models of Pampiglione et al for Mediterranean leishmaniasis [27], [28], the low seropositivity rate in the 15–24 and 25–59 age groups in Kutaisi, relative to age groups 1–4 and 10–14 (Table 1), suggests that this VL focus was developed relatively recently, as in old foci infection rates increase with age. Although we find the highest incidence in the 60-plus age group, this represents only 5 positives and we would hesitate to present this as evidence that Kutaisi is in fact an old focus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Epidemiology of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Georgia

Babuadze

Alvar²,

Argaw

et al. 2014

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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This study investigated the transmission and prevalence of Leishmania parasite infection of humans in two foci of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Georgia, the well known focus in Tbilisi in the East, and in Kutaisi, a new focus in the West of the country. The seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis was investigated in order to understand the zoonotic transmission. Blood samples of 1575 dogs (stray and pet) and 77 wild canids were tested for VL by Kalazar Detect rK39 rapid diagnostic tests. Three districts were investigated in Tbilisi and one in Kutaisi. The highest proportions of seropositive pet dogs were present in District #2 (28.1%, 82/292) and District #1 (26.9%, 24/89) in Tbilisi, compared to 17.3% (26/150) of pet dogs in Kutaisi. The percentage of seropositive stray dogs was also twice as high in Tbilisi (16.1%, n = 670) than in Kutaisi (8%, n = 50); only 2/58 wild animals screened were seropositive (2. 6%). A total of 873 Phlebotomine sand flies were collected, with 5 different species identified in Tbilisi and 3 species in Kutaisi; 2.3% of the females were positive for Leishmania parasites. The Leishmanin Skin Test (LST) was performed on 981 human subjects in VL foci in urban areas in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. A particularly high prevalence of LST positives was observed in Tbilisi District #1 (22.2%, 37.5% and 19.5% for ages 5–9, 15–24 and 25–59, respectively); lower prevalence was observed in Kutaisi (0%, 3.2% and 5.2%, respectively; P<0.05). This study shows that Tbilisi is an active focus for leishmaniasis and that the infection prevalence is very high in dogs and in humans. Although exposure is as yet not as high in Kutaisi, this is a new VL focus. The overall situation in the country is alarming and new control measures are urgently needed.

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“…Readings were taken 48 to 72 hours later using the ballpoint-pen technique of Sokal to determine the 2 diameters of the induration [ 23 ]. The LST result was considered positive if the mean of the two measurements was five mm or more [ 5 , 14 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The test is currently used to measure the prevalence of Leishmania exposure in human communities and was considered as an important tool for epidemiological surveys of leishmaniasis transmission [ 3 – 6 ]. The epidemiological significance of a positive LST reaction has been described elsewhere [ 7 – 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and determinants of Leishmania major infection in emerging and old foci in Tunisia

Bettaieb

Toumi

Chlif

et al. 2014

Parasites & Vectors

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BackgroundZoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) due to Leishmania major (L. major) is still a serious public health problem in Tunisia. This study aimed to compare the prevalence and risk factors associated with L. major infection in old and new foci using leishmanin skin test (LST) in central Tunisia.MethodsA cross sectional household survey was carried out between January and May 2009 on a sample of 2686 healthy individuals aged between 5 and 65 years. We determined the prevalence of L. major infection using the LST. Risk factors of LST positivity were assessed using a logistic regression model.ResultsThe overall prevalence of LST positivity was 57% (95% CI: 53–59). The prevalence of L. major infection was significantly higher in the old focus (99%; 95% CI: 98–100) than in the emerging foci (43%; 95% CI: 39–46) (p = <0.001). Multivariate analysis of LST positivity risk factors showed that age, the nature of the foci (old/emerging), personal and family history of ZCL are determinants of positive LST results.ConclusionThe results updated the current epidemiologic profile of ZLC in central Tunisia. Past history of transmission in a population should be considered as a potential confounder in future clinical trials for drugs and vaccines against L. major cutaneous leishmaniasis.

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Studies in mediterranean leishmaniasis

Cited by 96 publications

References 10 publications

Seroprevalence of Kala-Azar Among Humans and Dogs in Yemen

Seroprevalence of Kala-Azar Among Humans and Dogs in Yemen

Epidemiology of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Georgia

Prevalence and determinants of Leishmania major infection in emerging and old foci in Tunisia

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