Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Yemen: clinicoepidemiologic features and a preliminary report on species identification

To study the clinicoepidemiologic profile of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Yemen (Hajjah and adjacent regions) and to identify the Leishmania species responsible.

All 136 cases [96 (70.6%) males and 40 (29.4%) females] were subjected to detailed analysis. The diagnosis was based on positive slit skin smear and histopathologic studies when needed. In four cases, in vitro culture and Leishmania characterization by isoenzyme electrophoresis of 15 isoenzymes were attempted.

Most of the patients (107; 78.7%) were residents of the Hajjah Governorate. The majority of the patients had a single noduloulcerative lesion on the face. Slit skin smear was positive for parasites in 128 (94%) cases (highly positive in 63 cases) and four Leishmania isolates were obtained. The isoenzyme characterization results revealed L. tropica to be the species responsible, and zymodeme analysis showed that one strain belonged to zymodeme MON137, and three strains belonged to two previously undescribed zymodemes similar to zymodeme MON71.

CL seems to be endemic in this region. L. tropica was identified as the species responsible in four strains.