[Leishmaniasis in south-eastern France- -ecology, epidemiology, prophylaxis]

A study of the ecology, epidemiology and prophylaxis of Leishmaniasis in the southeast of France is reported; different methods of the survey are recorded. Between 1965 and 1975, 972 cases of canine Leishmaniasis and from 1968 to 1975 89 cases of visceral human Leishmaniasis and only 3 cases of oriental sore were observed in the "Bouches du Rhône", "Var" and "Vaucluse" Departments. The strains isolated from canine and human visceral Leishmaniasis had a malate dehydrogenase XI whereas Leishmania tropica had a MDH I; no wild animals have been found with Leishmaniasis. The suburbs of the towns, the hills in the center of Marseilles or surrounding Toulon as well as the villages are the principal foci of Phlebotomus perniciousus (96%) as the vector. The biotopes are isolated houses with little gardens surrounded by dry-stone walls exhibiting holes named "barbacanes", with chalky soil and xerophytes. The killing of infected dogs is the best protection of men whereas keeping dogs in sandfly-proof kennels from twilight until one hour after sunrise is best in order to protect this animal. This is quite different from the observations made by RIOUX in the Cevennes.