title: Lupoid leishmaniasis among the known cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Herat Province, western Afghanistan.
abstract: Lupoid cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is an uncommon form of chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is mostly caused by Leishmania tropica in the Old World and has a high incidence throughout early life. Between 2012 and 2013, patients with active lesions suspected to be cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were examined. Diagnosis was performed through a combination of methods, i.e., clinical examination, direct smears and kDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Overall, 162(4.2%) subjects, through clinical examination and PCR confirmation alone, were diagnosed as having LCL, with the duration of the lesions varying from 2 to 5 years. Most (85.8%) of the subjects with LCL were <20 years of age. No amastigote was found in direct smears. Moreover, direct PCR on the negative smears for identifying Leishmania provided a specificity of 100%, and the species was identified as Leishmania tropica using specific kDNA PCR. Performing PCR on skin smears appears to offer a valuable method for the diagnosis of LCL because it is highly specific and sensitive, especially for clinical correlative studies.
authors.affiliation: Students Research Committee, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pazoki
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address: mahdif53@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fakhar
authors.affiliation: National Health Coordinator (NHC) and Head of Herat WHO Sub-office, Herat Province, Afghanistan.
authors.forename: Abobakar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasooli
authors.affiliation: Cell and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karamian
authors.affiliation: Students Research Committee, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Eisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nazar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Afghanistan; Leishmania tropica; Lupoid cutaneous leishmaniasis; Specific kDNA PCR