{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T05:00:36Z","timestamp":1787029236207,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,5]],"date-time":"2022-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670198400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry Agency for Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Education, and Najran University, Saudi Arabia","award":["NU\/IFC\/ENT\/01\/007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NU\/IFC\/ENT\/01\/007"]}]},{"name":"Ministry Agency for Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Education, and Najran University, Saudi Arabia","award":["RGP1\/68\/43"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP1\/68\/43"]}]},{"name":"King Khalid University, Institute for Research and Consulting Studies Administration of Contracts","award":["NU\/IFC\/ENT\/01\/007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NU\/IFC\/ENT\/01\/007"]}]},{"name":"King Khalid University, Institute for Research and Consulting Studies Administration of Contracts","award":["RGP1\/68\/43"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP1\/68\/43"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniais (ACL) and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) caused by Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major, respectively, are endemic vector-borne diseases in southern Saudi Arabia. In 2021, an outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred in the province of Asir. The main objective of our investigation was to analyze the epidemiological features of CL in southern Saudi Arabia. The ministry of health recorded 194 CL patients between January and December 2021 from the Asir province. Our findings showed that the majority of CL patients (87.1%) originated from the governorates of Khamis-Mushait and Abha. Most of the patients were males (62.3%). While CL affected all age groups, those under 13 years old were the most affected (38.1%). For both genders, CL patients were mostly Saudi citizens (90.7%) compared to non-Saudi expatriates. The majority of CL patients (75.2%) suffered from a single lesion, and the majority of lesions (61.3%) were located on the face. The seasonal prevalence of CL showed two peaks, a small one in July\u2013August and a larger one in March. Of a total of 194 Giemsa slides samples, 188 showed positive amplification of Leishmania ITS1 gene. Based on PCR-RFLP and PCR-HMR, 183 patients showed positive amplification of L. tropica and five patients showed positive amplification of L. major. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a clear distinct separation between L. major and L. tropica sequences. Our results provided strong evidence of the pre-domination of L. tropica, the main etiological agent of ACL in Asir province. We reported for the first time the presence of L. major, an etiological agent of ZCL in the study areas. The co-circulation of ACL and ZCL highlighted the complexity of the epidemiology of CL in southern Saudi Arabia, and subsequently, further studies to identify competent vectors and reservoir hosts for the establishment of control strategies are needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens11121472","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,5]],"date-time":"2022-12-05T04:10:02Z","timestamp":1670213402000},"page":"1472","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Molecular Characterization of Leishmania Species among Patients with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Asir Province, Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5809-7525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasser","family":"Alraey","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Central Research Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rasha","family":"Alhweti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jazan Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hatim","family":"Almutairi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Authority, Riyadh 12212, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulrahman","family":"Abdullah Al-Qahtani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed Ibrahim","family":"Alshahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed Hussin","family":"Asiri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulrhman Mousa","family":"Alhammas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saeed Jubran","family":"Alwagdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulaziz","family":"Alshahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Administration, Saudi Ministry of Health, Abha 61321, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8863-3870","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdulaziz","family":"Alouffi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0048-4071","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aymen M.","family":"Madkhali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Waleed S.","family":"Al-Salem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Authority, Riyadh 12212, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4584-5739","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed A.","family":"Al-Qahtani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infection and Immunity, Research Center, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9614-3238","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed","family":"Saif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 66624, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sami","family":"Ben Hadj Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Central Research Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61321, Saudi 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