Molecular epidemiology of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Jericho and its vicinity in Palestine from 1994 to 2015.

Cutaneous leishmaniases (CL) are vector-borne parasitic diseases endemic in many countries of the Middle East including Palestine. Between 1994 and 2015, 2160 clinically suspected human cases of CL from the Jericho District were examined. Stained skin tissue smears and aspirates were checked by microscopy and cultured for promastigotes, respectively.

Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the endemic area of Jericho, Palestine.

This study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Jericho city and the adjacent Aqbat-Jaber refugee camp investigated the seroprevalance of Leishmania major and the risk factors associated with acquiring the disease. Clinical and parasitology identification of cases showed children and young men were more affected, with the head most affected in children. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test sera from 190 individuals.

The recent emergence of Leishmania tropica in Jericho (A'riha) and its environs, a classical focus of L. major.

Between 1997 and 2002, 49 strains of Leishmania were isolated from the cutaneous lesions of Palestinians living in and around Jericho. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1-PCR) was applied to their cultured promastigotes and to 207 individuals' skin scrapings spotted on filter-papers, 107 of which proved positive for leishmanial DNA. Species identification was performed by restricting the ITS1-PCR amplification products from the cultured promastigotes and the amastigotes in the scrapings with the endonuclease HaeIII.

Familial and environmental determinants for wheezing and asthma in a case-control study of school children in Palestine.

Background: Our prevalence study on Palestinian school children aged 6-12 years showed lower rates for asthma and asthma symptoms than economically developed and industrialized countries. Reasons for such differences are largely unknown, and could possibly be related to different environmental and lifestyle factors.

Objective: To investigate familial, early life exposures and indoor environmental determinants for asthma in children in Palestine.

Geographical variations of asthma and asthma symptoms among schoolchildren aged 5 to 8 years and 12 to 15 years in Palestine: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).

Background: Many studies demonstrated the existence of geographic differences, within and between countries, in the prevalence of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema. However, in Palestine, there are no comprehensive Palestinian data to compare with those from other regional and international centers.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in schoolchildren in two districts (Ramallah and North Gaza) in Palestine.