ABSTRACT
Dengue is a vector-borne disease caused by dengue virus. According to the recent report of CDC that one-third population of the world are at high risk with Dengue fever. The prevalence of the dengue hemorrhagic fever was found more in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Aedes mosquitoes was reported as the main cause of transmission of dengue virus. So the current study was planned to characterize the virus in Aedes mosquitoes collected from different area of Pakistan. In current investigation, Aedes mosquitoes and larvae were trapped under conducive conditions which are counted as 495 Aedes mosquitoes and 260 Aedes larvae. First of all, adult mosquitoes were identified morphologically under microscopy, counted as 73.3% Ae. aegypti and 26.7% Ae. albopictus. Finally, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses that only 4 adults of Aedes mosquitoes and 10 Aedes larvae as naturally infected with dengue virus with possible source Ae. aegypti. This study basically uncovered the presence of virus in different species of mosquitoes in southern regions of Pakistan. The present study will also give us an insight for vector control programs of dengue virus in the affected area.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To report presence of Leishmania major in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan, where cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic and was thought to be caused by Leishmania tropica only.@*METHODS@#Biopsy samples from 432 CL suspected patients were collected from 3 southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during years 2011-2016. Microscopy on Giemsa stained slides were done followed by amplification of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 gene.@*RESULTS@#Leishmania amastigotes were detected by microscopy in 308 of 432 samples (71.3%) while 374 out of 432 samples (86.6%) were positive by ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 PCR. Subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism confirmed L. tropica in 351 and L. major in 6 biopsy samples.@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study is the first molecular characterization of Leishmania species in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It confirmed the previous assumptions that anthroponotic CL is the major CL form present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Furthermore, this is the first report of L. major from a classical anthroponotic CL endemic focus identified in rural areas of Kohat district in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
ABSTRACT
Objective To report presence of Leishmania major in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan, where cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic and was thought to be caused by Leishmania tropica only. Methods Biopsy samples from 432 CL suspected patients were collected from 3 southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during years 2011–2016. Microscopy on Giemsa stained slides were done followed by amplification of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 gene. Results Leishmania amastigotes were detected by microscopy in 308 of 432 samples (71.3%) while 374 out of 432 samples (86.6%) were positive by ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 PCR. Subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism confirmed L. tropica in 351 and L. major in 6 biopsy samples. Conclusions This study is the first molecular characterization of Leishmania species in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It confirmed the previous assumptions that anthroponotic CL is the major CL form present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Furthermore, this is the first report of L. major from a classical anthroponotic CL endemic focus identified in rural areas of Kohat district in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.