HUMAN LEISHMANIASIS IN THE CEVENNES (FRAN CE) - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY1933-1994

During a retrospective study, 157 cases of human leishmaniasis were re corded in the Cevennes (France), 123 of which were visceral (78 %), 31 were cutaneous (20 %) and 3 were mucosal (2 %). Leishmaniasis is ende mic on the South slope of Massif Central, from the Ardeche department to the Espinouse Mounts. French departments Ardeche, Gard, and Herault are the most regularly affected by this disease, with mean annual inc idences of 0.10 to 0.20 p. 100,000 inhabitants. Parasites were isolate d from 66 patients out of the 157 diagnosed cases, and characterized i soenzymatically such as Leishmania infantum, MON-1 (60 isolates) and M ON-29 zymodemes (6 isolates) zymodemes.