ABSTRACT
Using direct agglutination tests, a survey of visceral leishmaniasis was carried out among children and adults from 13 villages and from nomadic tribes in Bushehr province during 1998-99. Of the 1496 plasma samples, the overall seropositive rate (titres > or = 1:3200) was 3.4%. Almost all cases (94.1%) were in children under 10 years old. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with kala azar; fever and splenomegaly were the predominant signs and symptoms. Parasitology and serology examinations of local animals identified dogs and jackals infected with Leishmania infantum. Suggestions for control of visceral leishmaniasis in this area are to eliminate stray dogs, identify cases among humans and suspected leashed dogs, and treat infected individuals.
Subject(s)
Disease Reservoirs , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/epidemiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Agglutination Tests , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Carnivora/parasitology , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Reservoirs/statistics & numerical data , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Dog Diseases/blood , Dog Diseases/prevention & control , Dogs , Female , Fever/parasitology , Humans , Infant , Iran/epidemiology , Leishmania donovani/immunology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/blood , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/prevention & control , Male , Population Surveillance , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Splenomegaly/parasitology , Transients and Migrants/statistics & numerical data , Zoonoses/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Using direct agglutination tests, a survey of visceral leishmaniasis was carried out among children and adults from 13 villages and from nomadic tribes in Bushehr province during 1998-99. Of the 1496 plasma samples, the overall seropositive rate [titres > or = 1:3200] was 3.4%. Almost all cases [94.1%] were in children under 10 years old. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with kala azar; fever and splenomegaly were the predominant signs and symptoms. Parasitology and serology examinations of local animals identified dogs and jackals infected with Leishmania infantum. Suggestions for control of visceral leishmaniasis in this area are to eliminate stray dogs, identify cases among humans and suspected leashed dogs, and treat infected individuals
