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Review
. 2023 Feb 2:13:1052478.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052478. eCollection 2022.

Leishmaniasis: Recent epidemiological studies in the Middle East

Chinyere A Knight  1 , David R Harris  1 , Shifaa O Alshammari  2 , Ayele Gugssa  3 , Todd Young  3 , Clarence M Lee  3
Affiliations
Review

Leishmaniasis: Recent epidemiological studies in the Middle East

Chinyere A Knight et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Middle East; cutaneous; leishmaniasis; treatment; vector; visceral.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Number of visceral leishmaniasis cases reported in Saudi Arabia (1991–2021).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis reported (2013–2020).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Cases of visceral leishmaniasis reported (2013–2020).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in selected Middle Eastern countries (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Yemen).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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