title: Global distribution maps of the leishmaniases.
abstract: The leishmaniases are vector-borne diseases that have a broad global distribution throughout much of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Despite representing a significant public health burden, our understanding of the global distribution of the leishmaniases remains vague, reliant upon expert opinion and limited to poor spatial resolution. A global assessment of the consensus of evidence for leishmaniasis was performed at a sub-national level by aggregating information from a variety of sources. A database of records of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis occurrence was compiled from published literature, online reports, strain archives, and GenBank accessions. These, with a suite of biologically relevant environmental covariates, were used in a boosted regression tree modelling framework to generate global environmental risk maps for the leishmaniases. These high-resolution evidence-based maps can help direct future surveillance activities, identify areas to target for disease control and inform future burden estimation efforts.
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: David M
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6731-4034
authors: DM
authors: Pigott
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Samir
authors: S
authors: Bhatt
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Nick
authors: N
authors: Golding
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Kirsten A
authors: KA
authors: Duda
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Katherine E
authors: KE
authors: Battle
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Oliver J
authors: OJ
authors: Brady
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Jane P
authors: JP
authors: Messina
authors: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, UFR Médecine, Université Montpellier 1 and UMR 'MiVEGEC', CNRS 5290/IRD 224, Montpellier, France.
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Balard
authors: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, UFR Médecine, Université Montpellier 1 and UMR 'MiVEGEC', CNRS 5290/IRD 224, Montpellier, France.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Bastien
authors: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, UFR Médecine, Université Montpellier 1 and UMR 'MiVEGEC', CNRS 5290/IRD 224, Montpellier, France.
authors: Francine
authors: F
authors: Pratlong
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.
authors: John S
authors: JS
authors: Brownstein
authors: Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, United States.
authors: Clark C
authors: CC
authors: Freifeld
authors: Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, United States.
authors: Sumiko R
authors: SR
authors: Mekaru
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Peter W
authors: PW
authors: Gething
authors: Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.
authors: Dylan B
authors: DB
authors: George
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Monica F
authors: MF
authors: Myers
authors: Global Health Group, RTI International, Washington DC, United States.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Reithinger
authors: Spatial Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors: Simon I
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0611-7272
authors: SI
authors: Hay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004777:Environment; D005843:Geography; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011576:Psychodidae; D011634:Public Health; D012044:Regression Analysis
keywords: boosted regression trees; cutaneous leishmaniasis; epidemiology; global health; human; infectious disease; leishmania; microbiology; niche based modelling; species distribution modelling; visceral leishmaniasis