A fine scale eco-epidemiological study on endemic visceral leishmaniasis in north ethiopian villages.

ABSTRACT: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a disseminated protozoan infection caused by Leishmania donovani that affects almost half a million people annually. In Northern Ethiopia, VL is common in migrant agricultural laborers returning from the lowland sesame fields of Metema and Humera. Recent VL foci have emerged in resident rural populations near the town. In the current study, we evaluate multilevel entomological, epidemiological and ecological factors associated with infection and disease through fine-scale eco-epidemiological analyses in three villages. Satellite images showed that villages constructed in or close to vertisols, were likely to become endemic for VL. Vertisols or black-cotton soil, are characterized by high contents of smectitic clay minerals, which swell when hydrated and shrin

SUBMITTER: Kirstein OD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5956276 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature