Leishmania infantum and L. major in Algeria

Abstract

Since 1980, the development of leishmaniasis in Algeria has been marked by a considerable increase in the number of cases of both visceral leishmaniasis (1121 cases recorded) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (more than 2000 cases per year). New Leishmania infantum and L. major foci have appeared in the north and south of the country. During this period, 100 strains of Leishmania isolated from humans, other mammals and sandflies have been identified. The presence of L. major MON-25 in Psammomys obesus and Phlebotomus papatasi had identified these species as the main reservoir and vector, respectively, of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Similarly, the presence of L. infantum MON-1 in Ph. perniciosus and dogs has implicated them as the vector and reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis. The isolation of the dermotropic zymodeme MON-24 of L. infantum from Ph. perfiliewi suggested that it was one of the main vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the north of the country; the reservoir has not been identified. In addition, other zymodemes of Leishmania have been identified in visceral leishmaniasis patients, frequently associated with human immunodeficiency virus (MON-24, MON-33, MON-34 and MON-78), in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (MON-80), and in dogs with leishmaniasis (MON-34 and MON-77).