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The authors report the identification of Leishmania strains isolated from the Centre and the South of Tunisia. 266 strains were isolated between 1998 and 2006 from human (n = 221 strains) and dogs (n = 45 strains) hosts. The isoenzymatic identification exhibits the presence of in total five zymodemes belonging to three Leishmania complexes: Leishmania infantum, L. major and L. killicki. All strains isolated from human and canine visceral leishmaniasis belonged to L. infantum. zymodeme MON-1 was the only one isolated from canine visceral leishmaniasis. However, it is predominant in human visceral leishmaniasis beside zymodeme MON-24 which was detected in two provinces of the Centre (Monastir and Kairouan) and zymodeme MON-80 isolated for the first time in Kairouan province. Three complexes are responsible for human cutaneous leishmaniasis: L. major MON-25 is the parasite the most frequently found in its classic foci in the Centre and the South of the country. L. infantum MON-24 was isolated for the first time in a small locality of Sfax (southern Tunisia) showing the appearance of a new focus of L. infantum. L. killicki was isolated in its original focus of Tataouine and in two new foci of the central part of the country (Sidi Bouzid and Kairouan).

Ovine and dromedary Echinococcus granulosus isolates from Tunisia were identified as G1 and G6 strains based on polymorphism of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxydase CO1. Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was used in order to examine the genetic variation within and between Tunisian G1 and G6 strains and to estimate the extent of selfing. The dromedary isolates are genetically distinct from sheep isolates (high value of genetic variation between populations: Fst = 0.46). No significant deficiency in heterozygotes was found in sheep isolates, whereas heterozygote deficiency (suggesting selfing) was found in a limited number of camel isolates.

À la suite de l’arrivée de la fièvre catarrhale ovine (FCO) en Tunisie, les auteurs rapportent les résultats de la première enquête effectuée dans le Gouvernorat de Monastir. Ils signalent la présence de neuf espèces de Culicoides dont trois sont nouvelles pour le pays (C. paolae, C. imicola, C. newsteadi), ce qui porte à 22 le nombre d’espèces actuellement connues.

Cystic echinococcosis, which commonly starts during childhood or adolescence, is a serious problem of public health in Tunisia. For 121 children (161 cysts), the localization and fertility of cysts as well as viability of their protoscoleces were determined. Results indicated that the lung was the primary localization of cyst (59%) followed by the liver (35%). Children's infection is more frequent in male than in female (sex ratio 1.96) and the greatest number of cases is observed in the 4-9 year age groups (94 cases). The fertility of the cyst was independent of its site or its size and no incidence of age of children was detected. Nevertheless, the fertility rate is higher in females than in males for the liver localization.

Utilisation of new diagnosis means and particularly non invasive oues in visceral leishmaniasis can be very valuable for the biologist, the clinician as well as the patient. In this, detection of leishmania in peripheral blood, well know for VIH patients, has been applied to 37 immunocompetent tunisan children suffering from kala azar that has been shown through direct examination of bone marrow. Observed results show that culture on NNN peripheral blood medium was positive in 25 cases (67.57%). On the other side, detection of leishmania through concomitant culture of blood and marrow bone for 24 children with visceral leishmaniasis match the results in 75% of the cases. Detection of leishmania by mean of blood culture for immunocompetent children is a diagnosis mean of visceral leishmaniasis and has also an epidemiologic utility by isoenzymatic characterization of isolated leishmania strains.

The authors report the first documented observation of infantile visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum MON-24 zymodeme in Tunisia. This zymodeme was isolated from a non-immunodepressed two-year-old child, with visceral leishmaniasis, originating from Zaghouan, in northern Tunisia. This case shows that beside L. infantum MON-1 and MON-80, L. infantum MON-24, the usual parasite of cutaneous leishmaniasis, there exists also a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in our country.