Identification of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Agents in Four Geographical Regions of Khuzestan Province Using Nested PCR

Background: Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major are the main causes of cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic regions of Iran. Patients and Methods: 146 samples were collected from the lesions of 146 individuals including 67 (59.59% ) male and 59 ( 40.41% ) female with cutaneous leishmaniasis. The samples were then delivered to Iran- Zamin diagnostic laboratory and smeared on slides, stained with Wright’s eosin methylene blue stain and examined microscopically and graded from 1+ to 4+. DNA was extracted from the slides and the identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis agents was performed using Nested PCR with the primers of CSB1XR, CSB2XF, LIR and 13Z. Results: 138 (94.5%) out of 146 cases of four regions were L. major and 8(5.5%) were L. tropica. 57.97% of L. major cases were male and 42.03% were female. 87.5% of L. tropica were male and 12.5% were female. The maximum number of L. tropica cases was found in the northern region (8.16%) and the minimum was found in the western region (3.22%). 96.78% of L. major cases belonged to the western region of Khuzestan. Conclusions: L. major is the main species responsible for cutaneous leishmsniasis in four geographical regions of Khuzestan province southwestern of Iran and Nested PCR can be used for diagnosis and Leishmania species identification. Objectives: The aim of this study was the identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis agents in Khuzestan province located southwest of Iran.