AUTHOR=Knight Chinyere A. , Harris David R. , Alshammari Shifaa O. , Gugssa Ayele , Young Todd , Lee Clarence M. 

TITLE=Leishmaniasis: Recent epidemiological studies in the Middle East

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052478

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052478

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Leishmaniasis, one of the most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), is the third most important vector-borne disease worldwide. This disease has a global impact and severity of the infection and is greatest in the Middle East. The agent of infection is a protozoan parasite of the genus, <italic>Leishmania</italic>, and is generally transmitted by blood-sucking female sandflies. In humans, there are three clinical forms of infection: (1) cutaneous (CL), (2) mucocutaneous (ML), and (3) visceral leishmaniasis (VL). This review aims to discuss the current epidemiological status of leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen with a consideration of treatment options. The elevated risk of leishmaniasis is influenced by the transmission of the disease across endemic countries into neighboring non-infected regions.</p>