Ecological study and risk mapping of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Iran based on a geographical information systems approach

Salahi-Moghaddam, Abdoreza and Mohebali, Mehdi and Moshfae, Ali and Habibi, Majid (2010) Ecological study and risk mapping of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Iran based on a geographical information systems approach. Geospatial health , 5 (1). pp. 71-77. ISSN 1970-7096

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Abstract

Between 1998 and 2001, a total of 1,062 human cases of visceral leishmaniasis were reported from the rural district of Meshkin-Shahr in the mountainous, north-western Iranian province of Ardabil. In the summer of 2008, a cross-sectional study of dogs was conducted in this endemic area by randomly selecting 384 animals from 21 villages and testing them serologically for leishmaniasis. Villages, in which more than 10% of investigated dogs showed anti- Leishmania titres ≥1/320, were considered to be high-risk environments. Regression analysis showed no statistically significant correlation between topographic conditions and the prevalence of positive cases. However, when the results were compared with past meteorological records, a statistically significant positive correlation (P = 0.007) was found between the number of infected dogs with anti-Leishmania titres ≥1/640 and the number of days in a year with temperatures below 0 °C. While humidity showed an inverse correlation (P = 0.009) with the anti-Leishmania titres, a positive correlation (P <0.001) was found in relation to the amount of rainfall. Mapping of the areas at risk for kala-azar in the Meshkin-Shahr district supports the impression that the low temperatures prevalent in the Ardebil province constitute an important factor influencing the distribution of leishmaniasis there.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	geographical information system, leishmaniasis, mapping, temperature, humidity, ecology, Iran
Subjects:	600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 630 Agricoltura e tecnologie connesse > 636 Allevamento di animali > 636.7 Cani (Canis lupus familiaris) > 636.70896 Cani. Malattie > 636.7089696 Cani. Parassitosi e malattie causate da funghi (micosi) 900 Storia, Geografia e discipline ausiliarie > 910 Geografia e viaggi > 910.285 Geographic information systems
Depositing User:	biblioteca 7
Date Deposited:	05 Apr 2011 13:12
Last Modified:	05 Apr 2011 13:12
URI:	http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/3169

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