Frontiers in Microbiology (Feb 2023)

Leishmaniasis: Recent epidemiological studies in the Middle East

  • Chinyere A. Knight,
  • David R. Harris,
  • Shifaa O. Alshammari,
  • Ayele Gugssa,
  • Todd Young,
  • Clarence M. Lee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052478
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Leishmaniasis, one of the most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), is the third most important vector-borne disease worldwide. This disease has a global impact and severity of the infection and is greatest in the Middle East. The agent of infection is a protozoan parasite of the genus, Leishmania, and is generally transmitted by blood-sucking female sandflies. In humans, there are three clinical forms of infection: (1) cutaneous (CL), (2) mucocutaneous (ML), and (3) visceral leishmaniasis (VL). This review aims to discuss the current epidemiological status of leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen with a consideration of treatment options. The elevated risk of leishmaniasis is influenced by the transmission of the disease across endemic countries into neighboring non-infected regions.

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