first molecular epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in libya在利比亚第一皮肤利什曼病的分子流行病学研究.pdfVIP

First Molecular Epidemiological Study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Libya 1 2 2 3,4 Ahmad Amro *, Aisha Gashout , Hamida Al-Dwibe , Mohammad Zahangir Alam , 2 5 2 ¨ 4,5 Badereddin Annajar , Omar Hamarsheh , Hend Shubar , Gabriele Schonian 1 Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Quds University, Abu-Dies, Jerusalem, Palestine, 2 Libyan National Centre for Infectious Diseases and Control, Tripoli, Libya, 3 Department of ¨ ´ Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, 4 Institut fur Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Charite ¨ Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 5 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine Abstract Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in Libya. The objective of this study was to investigate, for the first time, epidemiological features of CL outbreaks in Libya including molecular identification of parasites, the geographical distribution of cases and possible scenarios of parasite transmission. Methodology/Principal Findings: We studied 450 patients that came from 49 areas distributed in 12 districts in north-west Libya. The patients’ ages ranged from 9 months to 87 years (median age 25 years); 54% of the cases were males. Skin scrapings spotted on glass slides were collected for molecular identification of causativ