There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
In North African countries, cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission has been increasing
since the 1980s, with a significant increase in the incidence of cases and a spread
of the geographical distribution. The disease currently represents a major public
health problem with a productivity gap and an impediment for development, which results
in dramatic socioeconomic and psycho-sanitary impacts. The incidence is more than
thousands of cases every year in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. In Egypt, only
a few dozen cases per year are reported, mainly in the Sinai Peninsula. Three Leishmania
species, associated with distinct eco-epidemiological and clinical patterns, are involved,
namely Leishmania infantum, L. major, and L. tropica. However, L. major is by far
the most frequent in Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia, with more than 90% of the registered
cases. It is mainly encountered in rural areas under semi-arid, arid and Saharan climates.
Leishmania tropica is more prevalent in Morocco, reaching 30–40% of isolates in some
districts. Much data is still missing concerning the risk factors of the infection
and the lesion development, as well as vector and reservoir ecology and behavior.
The knowledge of such parameters, following multidisciplinary and integrated approaches,
is crucial for better management and control of the disease, that also faces a lack
of resources and efficient control measures.
The 20 or so species of Leishmania which have been recorded as human infections are all either zoonotic, or have recent zoonotic origins. Their distribution is determined by that of their vector, their reservoir host, or both, so is dependent on precise environmental features. This concatenation of limiting factors leads to specific environmental requirements and focal distribution of zoonotic or anthroponotic sources. Human infection is dependent on the ecological relationship between human activity and reservoir systems. Examples are available of the emergence of leishmaniasis from the distant past to the present, and can be postulated for the future. These emergences have been provoked by the adoption of new, secondary reservoir hosts, the adoption of new vector species, transport of infection in humans or domestic animals, invasion by humans of zoonotic foci, and irruption of reservoir hosts beyond their normal range. The leishmaniases therefore present an excellent model for emerging disease in general, and for the generation of the principles governing emergence. The model is, however, limited by gaps in our knowledge, usually quantitative, sometimes qualitative, of the structure of reservoir systems.
scite shows how a scientific paper has been cited by providing the context of the citation, a classification describing whether it supports, mentions, or contrasts the cited claim, and a label indicating in which section the citation was made.