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Refugees at the Crossroads of Continents: A Molecular Approach for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Refugees in Turkey

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Abstract

Purpose

Due to mass population movements driven by internal conflicts and wars, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is becoming increasingly important in Turkey. This study is aimed at determining the clinical aspects, diagnosis and genotyping of CL patients coming to Turkey from abroad.

Methods

In our study, the clinical materials obtained from the patients or sent for diagnostic purposes from other centers to our laboratory between years 2012 and 2016 were assessed retrospectively. In total, there were 38 patients from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan.

Results

29 (76%), 28 (73%) and 33 (87%) samples were positive by light microscopy, Novy-McNeal-Nicolle(NNN), and enriched medium, respectively. By ITS-1 gene region PCR, 31 (81%) of the cases were positive. 35 of the patients were tested positive by at least one of the diagnostic methods. By genotyping, 21 Leishmania tropica, 8 Leishmania major, 3 Leismania infantum, 2 Leishmania donovani, and 1 Leishmania aethopica were detected.

Conclusion

This study is aimed at informing the clinicians working in the field for the import CL cases and recording the changing epidemiological features of CL in the region as well as discussing the possible focus for L. aethiopica infection which has not been shown in the region before.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank ManisaCelal Bayar University Parasite Bank. Turkish Society of Microbiology Study Group for Infections Related to Migration and Travel contributed to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, ManisaCelal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey

    Ahmet Özbilgin, İbrahim Çavuş & Ahmet Yıldırım

  2. Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, ManisaCelal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey

    Gulsum Gencoglan

  3. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Inisdibi Cad. Nirvana YasamEvleri 25/C Daire:6Akyaka Ula Mugla, Izmir, Turkey

    Varol Tunali

  4. Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Cumhur Gündüz

  5. Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Mehmet Harman

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  1. Ahmet Özbilgin
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Correspondence to Varol Tunali.

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Özbilgin, A., Gencoglan, G., Tunali, V. et al. Refugees at the Crossroads of Continents: A Molecular Approach for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Refugees in Turkey. Acta Parasit. 65, 136–143 (2020). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-019-00139-4

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