Re-emergence of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Greek Island of Crete.
Leishmaniases are vector-borne diseases transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. Three species of Leishmania are found in the Mediterranean basin: Leishmania infantum, the most common species responsible for both visceral (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL); Leishmania major, found in North Africa and Middle East causing CL; Leishmania tropica with a limited presence in Europe, causing CL. During the last 25 years, Crete has become an endemic zone for L. infantum with a high number of infected dogs and an increasing number of human cases every year; in the last 4 years, the incidence has reached an average of seven VL patients per year in a population of 600,000. At the same time, CL has re-emerged in Crete due to L. tropica, with an average of three CL cases per year in the last 4 years. Isolates were typed as L. infantum MON-1 and MON-98 and L. tropica MON-300, a zymodeme not reported before. Both VL and CL have spread to the whole of the island during the last 25 years, primarily in semi-urban and urban areas with altitudes of 0-50 m. The prevailing Phlebotomus species were Phlebotomus neglectus (proven vector of L. infantum) and Phlebotomus similis (suspected vector of L. tropica).
Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses, and Geographical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.
Vasiliki
V
Christodoulou
Maria
M
Antoniou
Pantelis
P
Ntais
Ippokratis
I
Messaritakis
Vladimir
V
Ivovic
Jean-Pierre
JP
Dedet
Francine
F
Pratlong
Vít
V
Dvorak
Yiannis
Y
Tselentis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000469:parasitology; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D012621:Seasons; D055815:Young Adult
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan