Isolation and Molecular Identification of Leishmania spp. Agents in Patients with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Yazd Province, Endemic Region of Central Iran

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a major health problem in many parts of Iran. Many methods have been introduced for detection and identification of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. The purpose of this study was isolation and molecular identification of Leishmania spp. agents in patients with CL from endemic region of central Iran. In this study, one of the main loci of central Iran named Yazd will be assessed CL identification using PCR-RFLP. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, sampling was done from 372 suspicious patients with CL who referred to Health Centers of Yazd Province from 2016 to 2017. After collection samples of patients, DNA extraction was done from samples on slides. Genus detection was done using specific primers by PCR. RFLP analysis was done for species identification. RESULTS: Out of 372 samples, 159 samples were positive using PCR based method. Out of 159 samples, 87 (54.7%) L. major and 72 (45.3%) L. tropica were identified using RFLP analysis. The number of lesions in each patient was different but 119 (74.8%) patients showed the number of 1–3 lesions, and more lesions (more than 10 lesions) was showed in 4 (2.5%) person. CONCLUSION: The CL found in Yazd province resulted from L. major and L. tropica as the agents of rural and urban types, respectively. The prevalence of L. major and L. tropica was almost the same. This indicated that control programs could be designed for treatment and vector and reservoir control.