Molecular identification of species caused cutaneous leishmaniasis in southern zone of Iran

Introduction and Objectives: Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica are two main species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Iran. Recently, Crithidia spp. has also been reported in the wound of patients with CL. In this study, we determined the species causing CL in the southern of Iran and the role of Crithidia spp. in creating skin ulcers.Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study from Apr to Sep 2016, 66 patients with CL who referred to health center, were selected and after DNA extraction from the giemsa stained smears, all samples were amplfied in two seperate steps using specific primers, firstly, to differentiate Leishmania species and then to identify Crithidia spp.Results: Two species L.major and L.tropica were responsible for 60 and 6 cases, respectively. Also, in two patients, mix infection with Crithidia was confirmed. In mix infection cases, the morphology of the cutaneous ulcers were not different from the wounds of other patients.Conclusion: Leishmania major is responsible for the most common CL in southern of Iran. On the other hand, the potential role of Crithidia as the main factor for CL and the probability of this parasite to have synergistic effects on leishmania, as a hypothesis, requires more comprehensive researches on the ambiguity of this protozoon.

Keywords:

Cutanoeus Leishmaniasis , Leishmania , Crithidia , Southern Iran