Authors

MH Feiz Haddad¹; A Gharaei³; M Sharify Nia²;  ¹ Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute and Department of Parasitology, Medical School, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran;  ² Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, Iran;  ³ Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, Iran

Discussion

Leishmaniasis is one of the most forgotten diseases in the world affecting the poor people in large numbers. At present, 350 million people are at risk and 2 million new cases are reported annually, of which
1.5 million of them are cutaneous leishmaniasis and the rest are related to visceral leishmaniasis. The
World Health Organization and Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) division ranks leishmaniasis in the first
group of emerging and uncontrolled disease. Leishmaniasis appears in three form; Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), muco-Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (MCL) and Viceral Leishmaniasis (VL). More than 90% of
cutaneous leishmaniasis are in Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Peru. Viceral leishmaniasis in terms of geographical conditions divided into five different types; Indian Leishmaniasis, is human
disease reservoir type and sand fly of Phlebotomus argenti is vector. African leishmaniasis or Sudanese
leishmaniasis is second and common in Sudan and Kenya. Gerbils, otters, dogs and cats are reservoirs
and the vector is Phlebotomus orientalis. Russian type is the third form and prevalent in Turkmenistan
and the Caucasus (Soviet Union). Dogs and foxes are the main reservoirs and Phlebotomus archablensis
is vector of the disease. The American type is the fourth form and infects American countries and dogs
and jackals carry the disease and Phlebotomus intermedius are vectors of the disease. The fifth is Mediterranean Leishmaniasis also called Middle Eastern type which is common in the Middle East countries
among people under the age of 10 and in Iran observe in the provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Ardabil and Khorasan.