Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024
Abstract Background Despite the presence of biologically confirmed cases, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is still absent from the annual health statistical reports of the Ministry of Health in Mauritania. This study aimed to confirm the presence of CL in patients with compatible skin lesions in Maurit...
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2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10716-w |
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| author | Aminetou El Moctar Mohamed Ouldabdallahi Moukah Abdoulaye Kassoum Koné Mona Saout Magalie Demar Mamadou Dramani Fofana Taleb Khyar Cheikh Mohamed Vadel Mariem Kébé Mahamadou Ali Thera Romain Blaizot Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary |
| author_facet | Aminetou El Moctar Mohamed Ouldabdallahi Moukah Abdoulaye Kassoum Koné Mona Saout Magalie Demar Mamadou Dramani Fofana Taleb Khyar Cheikh Mohamed Vadel Mariem Kébé Mahamadou Ali Thera Romain Blaizot Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary |
| author_sort | Aminetou El Moctar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Despite the presence of biologically confirmed cases, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is still absent from the annual health statistical reports of the Ministry of Health in Mauritania. This study aimed to confirm the presence of CL in patients with compatible skin lesions in Mauritania. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between September 2022 and August 2023 and between March and August 2024. It involved subjects with compatible skin lesions who attended dermatological consultations at various healthcare facilities in the Nouakchott and Assaba regions. In parallel, a retrospective study (2016–2024) analyzed data from suspect cases who visited the National Institute of Research in Public Health for laboratory diagnosis of CL infection. Biological confirmation was performed through microscopy using May-Grünwald Giemsa staining. During the cross-sectional study, PCR targeting the 3’UTR-Hsp70 region was also performed on filter papers used for dried blood spot. Results Among the 37 suspected patients seen in dermatological consultation, 21 (57%) were female and 16 (43%) were male. The mean age of the subjects was 29 ± 18.4 with a median of 28 years. Skin smears from suspect lesions were positive in 21 (56.7%) patients while the PCR showed only 12 (40%) positive patients. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis infection was higher among women (66.6%) than men (33.3%) (combining microscopy and PCR). Leishmania major was the only encountered species. Skin lesions were dry in 38.1% (8/21), crusted in 33.3% (7/21) and superinfected in 28.6% (6/21) of the microscopy-positive CL cases. Of 21 microscopy-positive cases, 38.1% (8/21) had skin lesions in upper limbs, 47.6% (10/21) in lower limbs and 14.3% (3/21) in both upper and lower limbs. The majority of confirmed CL patients (61.9%; 13/21) had more than 2 skin lesions. In the retrospective study, 95 suspect cases of CL were identified between 2016 and 2024, including 48 (47.1%) cases confirmed by microscopy. These cases mainly came from the southern regions of Mauritania, such as Assaba (n = 15) and Grogol (n = 12). Conclusion The study confirms the ongoing presence of CL in Mauritania, particularly in the southern areas and provides confirmation of the presence of L. major. It underscores the urgent need to locally develop appropriate diagnostic tools and to authorize the commercialization of meglumine antimoniate in the country. Further studies should be conducted to better determine the disease burden, identify vectors and reservoirs and evaluate therapeutic options. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | BMC Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8a78a59bbca4b289ad441383905db442025-08-20T02:19:58ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342025-04-0125111010.1186/s12879-025-10716-wOngoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024Aminetou El Moctar0Mohamed Ouldabdallahi Moukah1Abdoulaye Kassoum Koné2Mona Saout3Magalie Demar4Mamadou Dramani Fofana5Taleb Khyar Cheikh Mohamed Vadel6Mariem Kébé7Mahamadou Ali Thera8Romain Blaizot9Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary10Université de Nouakchott, Unité de recherche Génomes et MilieuxUniversité de Nouakchott, Unité de recherche Génomes et MilieuxParasites and Microbes Research and Training Center-Section Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine et d’Odonto-Stomatologie, Université des Sciences des Techniques et des Technologies de BamakoUMR 1019 TBIP Tropical Biomes and ImmunophysiopathologyUMR 1019 TBIP Tropical Biomes and ImmunophysiopathologyLaboratoire de Parasitologie et Mycologie, Institut de Recherche en Santé PubliqueService dermatologie, Centre hospitalier National de NouakchottService dermatologie, Centre hospitalier National de NouakchottParasites and Microbes Research and Training Center-Section Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine et d’Odonto-Stomatologie, Université des Sciences des Techniques et des Technologies de BamakoUMR 1019 TBIP Tropical Biomes and ImmunophysiopathologyUniversité de Nouakchott, Unité de recherche Génomes et MilieuxAbstract Background Despite the presence of biologically confirmed cases, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is still absent from the annual health statistical reports of the Ministry of Health in Mauritania. This study aimed to confirm the presence of CL in patients with compatible skin lesions in Mauritania. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between September 2022 and August 2023 and between March and August 2024. It involved subjects with compatible skin lesions who attended dermatological consultations at various healthcare facilities in the Nouakchott and Assaba regions. In parallel, a retrospective study (2016–2024) analyzed data from suspect cases who visited the National Institute of Research in Public Health for laboratory diagnosis of CL infection. Biological confirmation was performed through microscopy using May-Grünwald Giemsa staining. During the cross-sectional study, PCR targeting the 3’UTR-Hsp70 region was also performed on filter papers used for dried blood spot. Results Among the 37 suspected patients seen in dermatological consultation, 21 (57%) were female and 16 (43%) were male. The mean age of the subjects was 29 ± 18.4 with a median of 28 years. Skin smears from suspect lesions were positive in 21 (56.7%) patients while the PCR showed only 12 (40%) positive patients. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis infection was higher among women (66.6%) than men (33.3%) (combining microscopy and PCR). Leishmania major was the only encountered species. Skin lesions were dry in 38.1% (8/21), crusted in 33.3% (7/21) and superinfected in 28.6% (6/21) of the microscopy-positive CL cases. Of 21 microscopy-positive cases, 38.1% (8/21) had skin lesions in upper limbs, 47.6% (10/21) in lower limbs and 14.3% (3/21) in both upper and lower limbs. The majority of confirmed CL patients (61.9%; 13/21) had more than 2 skin lesions. In the retrospective study, 95 suspect cases of CL were identified between 2016 and 2024, including 48 (47.1%) cases confirmed by microscopy. These cases mainly came from the southern regions of Mauritania, such as Assaba (n = 15) and Grogol (n = 12). Conclusion The study confirms the ongoing presence of CL in Mauritania, particularly in the southern areas and provides confirmation of the presence of L. major. It underscores the urgent need to locally develop appropriate diagnostic tools and to authorize the commercialization of meglumine antimoniate in the country. Further studies should be conducted to better determine the disease burden, identify vectors and reservoirs and evaluate therapeutic options.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10716-wCutaneous leishmaniasisLeishmania majorMauritania; PCR |
| spellingShingle | Aminetou El Moctar Mohamed Ouldabdallahi Moukah Abdoulaye Kassoum Koné Mona Saout Magalie Demar Mamadou Dramani Fofana Taleb Khyar Cheikh Mohamed Vadel Mariem Kébé Mahamadou Ali Thera Romain Blaizot Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 BMC Infectious Diseases Cutaneous leishmaniasis Leishmania major Mauritania; PCR |
| title | Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 |
| title_full | Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 |
| title_fullStr | Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 |
| title_short | Ongoing presence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mauritania, 2016–2024 |
| title_sort | ongoing presence of leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in mauritania 2016 2024 |
| topic | Cutaneous leishmaniasis Leishmania major Mauritania; PCR |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10716-w |
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