Survey the cutaneous leishmaniasis prevalence in Mashhad during the past twenty years (1995 – 2014) and the effect of environmental risk factors on that

Abstract

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infectious disease, which is caused by a protozoan called Leishmania. It appears in three clinical forms including Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis (MCL), and Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Anthroponotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis formerly called urban form mostly observed in cities while Zoonotic or rural form mostly seen in villages. Climatic factors have effective influence on the incidence and prevalence of CL. The purpose of this study was to investigate the present status of CL in the city of Mashhad as one of the important centers of the disease and the effects of bioclimatic factors on its prevalence during the past 22 years (1992 – 2014). Methods: In this epidemiological study, the raw data of confirmed cases with CL were collected from 5 health centers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The climatic data were also obtained from the Meteorological Office and then analyzed using Excel software and Pearson correlation test. Results: During 20 years (1992–2014), 68958 cases of CL were diagnosed at Mashhad health centers, the highest rate of CL was observed among the patients who had referred to the mentioned health centers during the cold seasons every year. No significant relationship was found between sunny hours and wind speed and CL, but there was a remarkable correlation between precipitation rate, seasonal temperature, and humidity percentage with the prevalence of the disease. The highest rate of CL infection was observed during 2000-2001with higher prevalence of ACL. Conclusion: Climatic factors have remarkable influence on the prevalence of ACL in this city. Most of the patients were found to live at the marginal areas of the city with a non-immune population, low municipal services, new constructions, and sources of the disease.