Epidemiological Status of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Bafgh City,Yazd Province 2005.

Interoduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major health problem in some parts of Iran,which exists as zoonotic and anthroponotic forms in different foci of the country.Following an epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Bafgh city,(Yazd province, centeral Iran),this study was carried out to determine the ecology of sandflies,reservoir hosts and human infection in 2005.

This descriptive-crosss section study was done in the year 2005. Sandflies were collected biweekly from fixed sites of human dwellings and rodent burrows using 30 sticky (oiled) paper traps from the beginning to the active season. Rodents were caught in 20 live traps baited with cucumber biweekly.500 households (2123 persons) in the Bafgh city were randomly selected.All members of the selected households were examined clinically in the end of each season and forms were completed for each households during a house - to - house visit.

A total of 1784 sandflies (252from indoors and 1532 from outdoors) were collected. Six species were identified including Phlebotomus papatasi, P.mongolensis, Sergentomyia sintoni, S.theodori, S.dentata, S. baghdadis. The predominant species were P. papatasi in indoors(87.3%)and S.sintoni in rodent burrows (53%) in the studied areas. 39 M. libycus and 3 R.opimus were collected and examined. Both M. libycus and R.opimus were found to be infected with leishmania major.In the population of 2123 individuals in the Bafgh city, prevalence of scars and ulcers was 1.8% and 0.9% respectively.

Based on this survey, L.major is the principal agent, M. libycus ,R.opimus are the reservoir hosts and P.papatasi is the probable vector of ZCL in Bafgh city because about 87.3% of indoor sandflies were of these species. Leishmania major was isolated from the caught rodents