{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T08:52:00Z","timestamp":1791190320542,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786060800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health concern in Pakistan. This systematic review aimed to assess geographical distribution, prevalence trends and epidemiological risk factors associated with CL from 2014 to 2024.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar for studies published from January 2014 to December 2024. Keywords included \u2018cutaneous leishmaniasis\u2019, \u2018epidemiology\u2019, \u2018Pakistan\u2019 and \u2018geographical distribution\u2019. Of 1000 retrieved publications, 600 were screened and 25 met predefined inclusion and quality criteria. The extracted data included study area, research design, diagnostic methods, gender distribution and Leishmania species.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 27 380 confirmed CL cases were reported. The highest burden was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (60%), followed by Balochistan (16%), Sindh (8%), Punjab (8%) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Chitral (4%). A male predominance (approximately 60\u201365%) was reported. The dominant species were\u00a0Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major. Diagnosis relied mainly on microscopy (80%), with an annual incidence rate of 8\u201310% over the previous decade.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>CL shows a widespread and increasing distribution pattern in Pakistan. The main factors involve poverty, vectors, climate change and migration. These findings focus on the need to improve the surveillance network, molecular diagnostic methods and public awareness to decrease the growing impact of the disease.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/trstmh\/trag085","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]],"date-time":"2026-07-14T11:36:43Z","timestamp":1784029003000},"page":"995-1005","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Geographical and temporal patterns of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan: insight from a decade of epidemiology"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"120","author":[{"given":"Rehana","family":"Shaheen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biosciences, University of Wah , Wah Cantt, 47040 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Razia","family":"Bibi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biosciences, University of Wah , Wah Cantt, 47040 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad","family":"Aurongzeb","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Technology (FEST), Hamdard University , Karachi, 74600 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yasmeen","family":"Rashid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Health Services Academy , Islamabad, 44000 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mudassar","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi , Karachi, 75270 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Syed Ikhlaq","family":"Hussain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology , Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, 75300 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8088-0084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shumaila","family":"Naz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, National University of Medical Sciences , Rawalpindi, 46000 ,","place":["Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens12020297","article-title":"Unusual observations in leishmaniasis\u2014an overview","volume":"12","author":"Yadav","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pathogens"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib2","volume-title":"Global leishmaniasis surveillance report 2023","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2023"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib3","first-page":"998","article-title":"High endemicity of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Quetta and surrounding regions of Balochistan, Pakistan","volume":"21","author":"K\u00e4mink","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"633","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.14005","article-title":"Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in children of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan","volume":"29","author":"Lu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0012085","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012085","article-title":"Transcriptional signatures in human macrophage-like cells infected by Leishmania infantum, Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica","volume":"18","author":"Diotallevi","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib6","first-page":"281","article-title":"Ecology and transmission dynamics of phlebotomus sandflies in endemic regions of the Middle East","volume":"22","author":"Saki","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis"},{"key":"2026100504070508000_bib7","first-page":"859","article-title":"Distribution of cutaneous leishmaniasis by sex, age groups and residence in year 2020 in cutaneous leishmaniasis population of District D.I. 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