Drawing of the life cycle of Cutaneous leishmaniasis. Initials F.R. in lower right corner. Credit: National Museum of Health and Medicine
CDC scientists used genetic sequencing tools to analyze tissue samples from all of the patients. They discovered that a strain of Leishmania mexicana infecting non-travelers had a slightly different genetic fingerprint, suggesting that their infections were caused by a uniquely American"genotype" of the disease that was spread by local sandfly populations.
Kamb said that in Texas there is growing awareness of leishmaniasis as a potential diagnosis for skin lesions—in part due to a history of cases in people returning from Mexico, but also due to increasing recognition of the possibility of locally acquired cases. In fact, in Texas, cutaneous leishmaniasis is a reportable condition.
"A number of factors might be contributing to the increasing number of cutaneous leishmaniasis cases sent to CDC for testing. Among these is the speculation that that changes in climate conditions may lead to suitable environments for sand fly survival and reproduction, and that could enable the transmission of leishmaniasis to emerge in new areas," said Vitaliano Cama, Ph.D.
"Domestic dog imports from abroad, for breeding or via dog rescue organizations, have jumped sharply, to the point that about a million dogs enter the U.S. every year—most without receiving proper screening for," said Christine Petersen, DVM, Ph.D., FASTMH, who is director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa. Petersen, who co-authored the study along with colleagues from the U.S.
"Both forms of leishmaniasis cause tremendous suffering around the world and the fact that they now pose risks in the United States shows why we need to work together as ato fight infectious diseases wherever they exist," said ASTMH President Daniel Bausch, MD, MPH&TM, FASTMH."A global approach is especially important since: retrieved 19 October 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-genetic-fingerprint-indicating-disease-sand.