title: Spatial distribution and molecular identification of leishmania species from endemic foci of South-eastern iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cutaneous leishmaniasis constitutes a major public health problem in many parts of the world including Iran. The primary objective of this study was to identify Leishmania species in endemic districts of Kerman Province, south-eastern Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted by random sampling as cross- sectional descriptive between 2008 and 2010. Overall, 203 skin scraping smears were taken from the patients. Nested -PCR was performed to amplify variable minicircle fragments of Leishmania kDNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bam was the most infected district (71.1%), followed by Kerman (14.7%), Jiroft (5.4%), Baft (2.7%), Sirjan (1.6%), Shahr-e Babak (1.5%) and others (3.0%). L. tropica was the most common species identified (194 cases, 95.6%), while L. major was found in only 9 cases (4.4%). Of 203 identified patients, all species in Bam (l07 cases), Kerman (32 cases), Jiroft (l6 cases) and Shahr-e- Babak (l1 cases) were detected as L. tropica, whereas infected subjects in Baft and Sirjan showed L. tropica or L. major. Characterization of Leishmania species resulted in generation of 750 bp and 560 bp fragments, corresponding to those of L. tropica and L. major, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  L. tropica is the main species (95.6%) caused ACL in endemic areas of Kerman Province; however L. major is present in low level (4.4%).
authors.affiliation: Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sharifi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sharifi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarean
authors.forename: M Hakimi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Parizi
authors.forename: Mr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aflatoonian
authors.forename: M Fasihi
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Harandi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zahmatkesh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mashayekhi
authors.forename: Ar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kermanizadeh
keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Identification; Iran; Leishmania species; Nested-PCR