Genotyping of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Cases Detected Before and After Migration with Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction in Hatay.

Objective: and are the species causing cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) in Turkey. There was a wave of immigration due civil war in Syria in 2011. Migration from Syria, where CL is endemic, to other countries is thought to affect the number of CL cases and species diversity. The aim of the study was to typify the samples of CL positive, pre-migration and post-migration Turkish patients and importe (Syrian) patients whose smears were found in the archive and to reveal the difference of CL species before and after migration in Hatay.

Methods: Smears of a total of 150 patients (50 Turkish patients before migration, 50 Turkish patients after migration and 50 Syrian patients) which had been prepared with dermal scraping, stained with Giemsa and determined as CL positive by microscope examination were included in the study. DNA isolation of selected preparations was performed and GZ-PZR analysis with ITS-1probe was performed for species determination.

Results: was detected in 40 (80%), in 8 (16%), and in 2 (4%) of the samples belonging to pre-immigration Turkish patients. was detected in 28 (56%), in 3 (6%) and in 19 (%38) of the samples belonging to post-immigration Turkish patients. was detected in 2 (4%), in 1 (2%) and in 47 (94%) of the samples belonging to Syrian patients.

Conclusions: It was observed that in local cases in Hatay before immigration, was the common species that caused CL and that after immigration began to raise and that was more encountered than before. It was concluded that Syrians coming to Hatay may have caused diversity in the species which were the causative agents of CL, and that further research was needed on the subject.