Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Neyshabur, Iran from 2010 to 2014

Objective: To determine the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Neyshabur, Northeastern Iran from 2010 to 2014. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 543 samples from patients aging from 9 months to 74 years were included in Neyshabur, Iran. The sampling of lesions was done using sterile syringes. The slides were stained with Giemsa. The leishman bodies were observed under light microscopy. Results: The highest and lowest prevalence of CL was among 21–30 years (P = 0.007) and a range of 51–60 years (P = 0.156), respectively. The overall incidence of CL from 2010–2014 was 32.2% (n = 175). The CL incidence showed a decline from 2010–2014, but was not significant from 47/129 (36.4%) cases in 2010 to 18/56 (32.1%) cases in 2014. The CL rate was 101/295 (34.2%) in males and 74/248 (29.8%) in females (P = 0.275). The highest and lowest incidence rates of CL in 2014 have been occurred in July and June with 17 (36.9%) and 8 (19.0%) positive cases, respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of CL in Neyshabur showed a declining trend during 2010–2014. The most susceptible age for leishmaniasis infection was 21–30 years. Leishmaniasis infection rate was not significantly different between men and women