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Identification of Endemic Focus of Kala ـ azar and Seroepidemiologcial Study of Visceral Leishmania Infection in Human and Canine in Qom Province, Iran
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M Fakhar   1, M Mohebali , M Barani |
| 1- , Fakharm@sums.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (5623 Views) |
| ABSTRACT
Introduction & Objective: Visceral Leishmaniasis (kala-azar) is endemic in some areas of Iran, including: Ardebil, Fars, East Azerbaijan and Bushehr provinces and it’s sporadic in other regions. The causative agent of kala-azar in Iran is Leishmania infantum and its main reservoirs are canine.
Materials and Methods: In this survey, blood samples were collected from all children of 10 years old and 10% of the adult population of Qahan district villages drawn by systematic sampling. Besides, blood samples were collected from all owner dogs of Anjile and some randomized samples of Nevis plus Qahan villages. The specimens were subjected to direct agglutination test (DAT).
Results: Of the 416 human samples, 315 samples belonged to children 10 years old and 101 samples to adults. 226 (54.3%) out of 416 samples were prepared from males and 190 (45.7%) from females. Totally, 7 cases (1.7%) of human samples showed specific Leishmania antibodies with titers 1:3200 and above by DAT. Of the 32 dog samples, 8 cases (25%) showed specific Leishmania antibodies with titers 1: 320 or above. Two cases of seropositive dogs were necropsied and examined by parasitological procedures, and found to be highly infected by Leishmania.
Conclusion: Results of this study showed that dogs are the main sources of infection for human visceral leishmaniasis in these regions.Likewise, kala-azar is endemic in Qahan district villages, especially in Anjile and Nevis villages, and visceral leishmaniasis is more prevalent in canine and children and also in males. These regions identified as new endemic focus of VL in Iran. |
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| Keywords: KEYWORDS:Kala-azar, DAT, Human infection, Canine infection. |
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Full-Text [PDF 327 kb]
(1383 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2015/06/14 | Accepted: 2015/06/14 | Published: 2015/06/14
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