HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by van der Meide, W. F. Articles by Faber, W. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by van der Meide, W. F. Articles by Faber, W. R. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Leishmaniasis Related Collections Leishmaniasis

Epidemiology of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Suriname: A Study Performed in 2006

Wendy F. van der Meide^*,, Annigje J. Jensema, Ralph A. E. Akrum, Leslie O. A. Sabajo, Rudy F. M. Lai A Fat, Lisa Lambregts, Henk D. F. H. Schallig, Marije van der Paardt, AND William R. Faber

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a widespread disease in Suriname caused by Leishmania Viannia guyanensis. It is argued that other Leishmania species are also responsible for CL and that the incidence is increasing. This study aimed to identify the species causing the disease and to estimate the annual detection rate of CL in Suriname in 2006. In Paramaribo, 152 patients were registered, of whom 33 were tested in two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. Twenty-seven patients were infected with L. (V.) guyanensis (complex), one with L. (V.) lainsoni, and one with L. (Leishmania) amazonensis. In the hinterland, 162 CL suspected patients were registered by questionnaires; of these, 24 of 27 tested positive by PCR-RFLP (88.9%; 95% CI, 77.1–100%). With extrapolation of collected data, a detection rate was calculated of 5.32 to 6.13 CL patients per 1,000 inhabitants for the hinterland and 0.64 to 0.74 patients per 1,000 inhabitants for the whole country.

Received September 16, 2007. Accepted for publication May 5, 2008.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank all the patients included in this study; the health workers of the hinterland medical posts; and Carola Veenman (Medical Mission Coordination Center, Paramaribo) for distributing the questionnaires and for helping to collect the data. We acknowledge Ricardo V. P. Hu (Dermatology Service, Paramaribo) and Ramon M. Soetosenojo (Department of Dermatology, AZ, Paramaribo) who provided patient data of the dermatology departments and Dr. Henry J. de Vries (Dermatology Department, AMC, Amsterdam) for help in collection of questionnaires. The authors thank Dr. Phyllis Spuls (AMC, Amsterdam) and Dr. Stella Beers (KIT Biomedical Research, Amsterdam) for epidemiologic input and Alexander Verbeek, MSc, MA, for review of the manuscript.

Financial support: This study was supported by a grant from The Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical research (WOTRO Contract 96-210).

^* Address correspondence to Wendy F. van der Meide, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT)/Royal Tropical Institute, KIT Biomedical Research, Meibergdreef 39, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: wfmeide{at}yahoo.com

These two authors contributed equally to the work.

Authors’ addresses: Wendy F. van der Meide, Lisa Lambregts, and Henk D. F. H. Schallig, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT)/Royal Tropical Institute, KIT Biomedical Research, Meibergdreef 39, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tel: 31-20-5665447, Fax: 31-20-6971841, E-mail: wfmeide{at}yahoo.com. Annigje J. Jensema, Marije van der Paardt, and William R. Faber, Academic Medical Center, Department of Dermatology, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tel: 31-20-5669111, Fax: 31-20-5669185, E-mail: a.j.jensema{at}amc.uva.nl. Ralph A. E. Akrum, Primary Health Care (MZ), Zonnebloemstraat 45-47, Paramaribo, Suriname, Tel: 597-499466, Fax: 597-432655. Rudy F. M. Lai A Fat, Academic Hospital, Department of Dermatology and Pathology, Flustraat 3, Paramaribo, Suriname, Tel: 597-442222, Fax: 597-440022. Leslie O. A. Sabajo, Dermatology Service, Ministry of Health, Tourtonnelaan 5, Paramaribo, Suriname, Tel: 597-474350.