Model of Effective Control of Leishmaniasis in North Central Morocco and Updating the Mapping of the Circulating Species.

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is among the most important emerging vector-borne protozoal disease in terms of disability adjusted life year (DALY'S). The main objectives of this study are, firstly to evaluate the epidemiological situation of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) from 2000 to 2015 in Moulay Yacoub Province and Fez Prefecture and secondly to analyze the impact of several factors (geographical and socio-economic factors) on the distribution of CL in these provinces. In addition, this study aims to identify the circulating species of Leishmania in order to justify the cause of the case maintenance and to prevent possible epidemics. The spatio-temporal evolution of CL from 2000 to 2015 in the study area revealed the endemic and epidemic character of the disease with a variation in the number of cases according to provinces, and districts. The sharp decrease of cases observed in the study area could be explained by the several control measures that concern the different actors of leishmaniasis. According to the statistical study, the presence of leishmaniasis is mainly related to population movement and environmental conditions. The results of the clinical identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the study area showed a diversity of clinical features with the presence of symptoms miming for L. tropica or L. infantum. This result was confirmed by the molecular study PCR-ITS1-RFLP.