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Background: Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is widely distributed in Iran and around the world. Also, Khuzestan Province is an endemic focus of ZCL. This study aims to investigate the natural infection of sand flies with the Leishmania parasite in Karun County. Methods: Sand flies were collected from Jangiyeh, Qaleh Chanan, Kut-e-Navaser, and Ghazavieh in the spring and summer in the year of 2019, by installing 60 sticky paper traps each time (30 traps outdoors and 30 traps indoors). Two hundred female sand flies with different abdominal conditions (empty, blood-fed, semi-gravid, and gravid) were examined for infection rate using the Nested-PCR method. Results: In this study, seven species of sand flies including Phlebotomus papatasi, Ph. alexandri, Ph. sergenti, Ph. caucasicus, Sergentomyia tiberiadis, Se. sintoni, and Se. antennata were reported from Karun County, with a frequency of 79.64%, 16.96%, 1.07%, 0.18%, 0.36%, 1.61%, and 0.18%, respectively. Only eleven specimens of Ph. papatasi were found to be positive for Leishmania major, with an overall infection rate of 7.8%. The infection of Ph. papatasi was specifically reported in blood-fed, gravid, and semi-gravid specimens, with infection rates of 17.02%, 4.35%, and 14.29%, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the infection of L. major from Ph. papatasi was reported. The results can be used in planning the control of ZCL in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Regarding the increasing numbers of clinical antimonial-resistant Leishmaniasis, understanding the reasons for drug resistance is helpful. This study aimed to find the expression level of the genes related to resistance, P-glycoprotein A (PgpA), G-glutamylcysteine synthetase 1 (Gsh1), and aquaglyceroporin 1 (Aqp1) in antimonial-resistant clinical isolates. Methods: Samples were isolated from leishmaniasis ulcers of 10 non-healing patients and the species were identified by the nestedpolymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. In vitro experiments were performed using the amastigote-macrophage model by J774 cell line, and in vivo studies were conducted by animal model, the Balb/c mice. Finally, the values of genes expression were determined by quantitative-reverse transcription (q-RT) real-time PCR method and then compared with non-resistant Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER). Results: Molecular identification showed that all isolated protozoa were L. major. The isolated samples from clinical resistant patients represented no increase in expression in the tested resistance genes (P > 0.05). Finally, it was found that the lack of improvements in patients was not associated with the increased expression of resistance genes. Conclusion: In general, no inherent resistance was observed in the tested samples neither a correlation between the healing of lesions and the level of genes expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is occasionally highly resistant to pentavalent antimonials, the gold standard in pharmacotherapy of CL. Since there is no effective vaccine, the discovery of natural antileishmanial products as complementary therapeutic agents could be used to improve the current regimens. Objective: In this study in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activities of osthole, a natural coumarin known to possess antibacterial and parasiticidal activities are evaluated. Materials and Methods: Leishmania major infected J774.A1 macrophages were treated with increasing concentrations of osthole. CL lesions of BALB/c mice were treated topically with 0.2% osthole. Results: Osthole exhibited dose-dependent leishmanicidal activity against intracellular amastigotes with IC50 value of 14.95 µg/ml. Treatment of CL lesions in BALB/c mice with osthole significantly declined lesion progression compared to untreated mice (P < 0.05), however did not result in recovery. Conclusion: Osthole demonstrated remarkable leishmanicidal activity in vitro. Higher concentrations of osthole may demonstrate the therapeutic property in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of important parasitic disease in many part of the world. Iran is a hyper endemic area with cutaneous leishmaniasis permanently cause by L.major. Many efforts were conducted to achieve reliable vaccine against leishmaniasis by researches. The goal of this study concentrated on induces protective immunity against cutaneous leishmaniasis in experimental animal using UV-C irradiation promastigotes of L.major. Sixteen Balb/c mice divided to two group included vaccination and control group. The number of 2×106 promastigotes of L.major were exposed to more than 400 J/cm of UV-C irradiation and injected to mice with Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvant. After vaccination, all groups injected SC by 2×106 of wild type of L. major promastigotes in stationary phase. The mice examined weekly for lesion until 2 months. The size of lesions were measured weekly and recorded. Five out of 8 (62.5%) in vaccination group didn't show any lesion after 2 months and the size of lesion in other were significantly smaller than control group (P<0.05). Vaccination against cutaneous leishmaniasis by UV irradiated promastigotes is appropriated for future successful control of leishmaniasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Repeated referring of patients from North Baraan region especially from two villages (Timiart and Fesaran) to the Isfahan Research Center of Skin Disease and Leishmaniasis and the Isfahan Province Health Center (Iran) and also repeated writings of level unities to the Disease Control Unit of Health Center No, 1 of this area about the increasing number of rodents in the villages was showing that leismaniasis has an epidemiologic condition in this area. There was no study about the genus and species of reservoir rodents in the region. So, in this study we aimed to study the funa of region rodents and the rate of their involvement by leishmaniasis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on local hunted rodents with Sherman live-traps. Their genus and species were identified using special key references. Samples were taken from animals' ears, beaks, paws, noses and tails by grinding method for both direct smear and culture in Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle (NNN) medium. Then, they were dissected and two direct smears from the liver and spleen of each one were prepared. The slides underwent direct microscopic exam after Giemsa staining to detect amastigote form of parasites. Findings: Among the total of 53 rodents, Rhombomys opimus comprised 38 (71.7%) and the remaining 15 (28.3%) were Meriones libycus. The rate of infection of Rhombomys opimus was (18.4%) and of Meriones libycus was (13.3%). Conclusion: The results suggested that Rhombomys opimus was the principal reservoir of cutaneous leishmaniasis and Meriones libycus was the second host in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a self-healing disease; however, due to some reasons, in a few cases the lesion develops to a non-healing form of disease. The initial encounter of Leishmania with its host's innate immune system is important in the outcome of infection. Although, tremendous data is available in murine model of leishmaniasis but immunological surrogate marker(s) of healing and protection in human is not yet well-defined. In this study, the level of IL-23 and IL-27 produced by peripheral blood derived macrophages from patients with healing or non-healing form of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesion were determined to explore whether IL-23 or IL-27 plays a protection role in healing process of cutaneous lesions induced by Leishmania major (L. major). Methods: 26 six patients resident in Isfahan Province, Iran, with healing or non-healing forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. major were selected. In-vitro productions of IL-23 and IL-27 by peripheral blood derived macrophages, before and after stimulation with live L. major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) promastigotes were evaluated in these two groups and control group using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Findings: The mean difference production of IL-23 and IL-27 from macrophages of patients with healing form of lesion was significantly higher than patients with non-healing form. The levels of IL-23 and IL-27 in culture supernatants before and after stimulation in healing form of disease was significantly higher than non-healing form (P < 0.001). Conclusion: It seems that IL-12 agonists might play a protection role in human leishmaniasis and further studies are needed to understand the role of these cytokine in cutaneous leishmaniasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]