Molecular characterization of Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major from stray dogs and patients in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica cause cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans and dogs in several parts of the world, with a large number of cases recorded in the Middle East.However, when occurring in sympatry in the same area, the role of each species in the epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis is not clear. Methods:To determine the prevalence and to identify the species of Leishmania that infect humans and stray dogs in Riyadh and Al-Qaseem (Saudi Arabia), blood samples were collected from stray dogs (n = 311) and human patients (n = 27). A conventional PCR coupled with a nested PCR (n PCR) were applied in this study. Results: A conventional PCR coupled with a nested PCR (n PCR) showed that seven patients (25.9%) from Riyadh city and Al-Qaseem province were infected by L. major and L. tropica and five dogs (1.6%) by L. tropica. Conclusions: This is one of the first molecular studies of leishmaniasis from Saudi Arabia. The relationship between the sand fly vectors and the reservoirs of both Leishmania spp. is still scarcely known in this region, and further epidemiological investigations of domestic and wild canine infected with L. major and L. tropica are needed towards a control and prevention of the infection in canine and human populations. Alattass MS, Hayder A, Noureldin EM: Epidemiology and incidence of leishmaniasis in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia (2007-2015): An overview. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2018; 6(5): 859-864. 4. Hawash YA, Ismail KA, Abdel-Wahab MM, Khalifa M: Diagnosis, treatment and clinical features of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia. The Korean Journal of Parasitology 2018, 56(3):229. 5. Al-Tawfiq JA, AbuKhamsin A: Cutaneous leishmaniasis: a 46-year study of the 9 epidemiology and clinical features in Saudi