Despite the presence of biologically confirmed cases, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is still absent from the annual health statistical reports of the Ministry of Health in Mauritania. This study aimed to confirm the presence of CL in patients with compatible skin lesions in Mauritania.
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between September 2022 and August 2023 and between March and August 2024. It involved subjects with compatible skin lesions who attended dermatological consultations at various healthcare facilities in the Nouakchott and Assaba regions. In parallel, a retrospective study (2016–2024) analyzed data from suspect cases who visited the National Institute of Research in Public Health for laboratory diagnosis of CL infection. Biological confirmation was performed through microscopy using May-Grünwald Giemsa staining. During the cross-sectional study, PCR targeting the 3’UTR-Hsp70 region was also performed on filter papers used for dried blood spot.
Among the 37 suspected patients seen in dermatological consultation, 21 (57%) were female and 16 (43%) were male. The mean age of the subjects was 29 ± 18.4 with a median of 28 years. Skin smears from suspect lesions were positive in 21 (56.7%) patients while the PCR showed only 12 (40%) positive patients. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis infection was higher among women (66.6%) than men (33.3%) (combining microscopy and PCR). Leishmania major was the only encountered species. Skin lesions were dry in 38.1% (8/21), crusted in 33.3% (7/21) and superinfected in 28.6% (6/21) of the microscopy-positive CL cases. Of 21 microscopy-positive cases, 38.1% (8/21) had skin lesions in upper limbs, 47.6% (10/21) in lower limbs and 14.3% (3/21) in both upper and lower limbs. The majority of confirmed CL patients (61.9%; 13/21) had more than 2 skin lesions. In the retrospective study, 95 suspect cases of CL were identified between 2016 and 2024, including 48 (47.1%) cases confirmed by microscopy. These cases mainly came from the southern regions of Mauritania, such as Assaba (n = 15) and Grogol (n = 12).
The study confirms the ongoing presence of CL in Mauritania, particularly in the southern areas and provides confirmation of the presence of L. major. It underscores the urgent need to locally develop appropriate diagnostic tools and to authorize the commercialization of meglumine antimoniate in the country. Further studies should be conducted to better determine the disease burden, identify vectors and reservoirs and evaluate therapeutic options.
a1471-2334