Surveillance of leishmaniasis cases from 15 European centres, 2014 to 2019: a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Background Surveillance of human leishmaniasis in Europe is mostly limited to country-specific information from autochthonous infections in the southern part. As at the end of 2021, no integrated analysis has been performed for cases seen across centres in different European countries. Aim To provide a broad perspective on autochthonous and imported leishmaniasis cases in endemic and non-endemic countries in Europe. Methods We retrospectively collected records from cutaneous, mucosal and visceral leishmaniasis cases diagnosed in 15 centres between 2014 and 2019. Centres were located in 11 countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Data on country of infection, reason for travelling, infecting species, age and sex were analysed. Results We obtained diagnostic files from 1,142 cases, of which 76%, 21% and 3% had cutaneous, visceral, and mucosal disease, respectively. Of these, 68% were men, and 32% women, with the median age of 37 years (range: 0–90) at diagnosis. Visceral leishmaniasis was mainly acquired in Europe (88%; 167/190), while cutaneous leishmaniasis was primarily imported from outside Europe (77%; 575/749). Sixty-two percent of cutaneous leishmaniasis cases from outside Europe were from the Old World, and 38% from the New World. Geographic species distribution largely confirmed known epidemiology, with notable exceptions. Conclusions Our study confirms previous reports regarding geographic origin, species, and traveller subgroups importing leishmaniasis into Europe. We demonstrate the importance of pooling species typing data from many centres, even from areas where the aetiology is presumably known, to monitor changing epidemiology.

Real‐time impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on cutaneous leishmaniasis case finding and strategic planning, preventive interventions, control and epidemiology in a region with a high burden of cutaneous leishmaniasis and COVID‐19: A cross‐sectional descriptive study based on registry data in Ilam‐Iran

“…Also, Western Pacific Region (WPR) has no data reported. 221,614 autochthonous and 339 imported new CL cases (sum: 221,953) were reported to WHO in 2021 87–89 . More than 95% of the new CL cases were reported from EMR and AMR.…”

ABC transporter inhibition by beauvericin partially overcomes drug resistance in Leishmania tropica

“…Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne zoonotic infection, is widely associated with poverty and predominantly occurs in the most impoverished parts of developing countries ( 1 ). The epidemiology of leishmaniasis has undergone changes in recent years, with the disease becoming endemic in numerous regions, including tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa, America, and Asia, as well as in rural and urban areas in southern Europe ( 2 ). The disease is caused by Leishmania , a genus of trypanosomes, and spreads through the bite of a phlebotomine sandfly ( 3 ).…”

Molecular Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis in Spain: Development and Validation of Ready-To-Use Gel-Form Nested and Real-Time PCRs To Detect Leishmania spp.

“…As L. infantum is the only species of Leishmania circulating in Spain, it is responsible for autochthonous leishmaniasis, including CL and VL, while PKDL is rare and is mostly described in immunocompromised patients due to HIV ( 11 ). In contrast, imported leishmaniasis is caused by different species depending on the geographical region where it was acquired, not observing a higher frequency of any specific species ( 12 ).…”