Grading of amastigotes.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites, that can cause long-term chronic disabilities. The clinical presentation of CL varies in both type and severity. CL presents as three main clinical forms: localised lesions (localised cutaneous leishmaniasis, LCL); mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) that affects the mucosa of the nose or the mouth; or as disseminated not ulcerating nodules (diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, DCL). Here we recruited a cohort of CL patients in a newly established leishmaniasis treatment centre (LTC) in Lay Gayint, Northwest Ethiopia, and collected detailed demographic and clinical data. The results of our study show that more males than females present to the LTC to seek diagnosis and treatment. 70.2% of CL patients presented with LCL and 20.8% with MCL. A small number of patients presented with DCL, recidivans CL (a rare form of CL where new lesions appear on the edges of CL scars) or with a combination of different clinical presentations. The duration of illness varied from 1 month to 180 months. Over a third of CL patients had additional suspected CL cases in their household. Despite the majority of CL patients having heard about CL, only a minority knew about its transmission or that it could be treated. Most CL patients lived in areas where environmental factors known to be associated with the transmission of CL were present. This work highlights that CL is an important public health problem in Lay Gayint and emphasises the urgent need for more CL awareness campaigns, better health education and better disease management practices.

皮肤利什曼病（cutaneous leishmaniasis, CL）是由利什曼原虫（Leishmania parasites）引发的被忽视热带病，可导致长期慢性残疾。该病的临床表现类型与严重程度均存在差异。CL主要分为三种临床表型：局限性皮损（局限性皮肤利什曼病，localised cutaneous leishmaniasis, LCL）；累及鼻腔或口腔黏膜的黏膜皮肤利什曼病（mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, MCL）；以及播散性非溃疡性结节型，即弥散性皮肤利什曼病（diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, DCL）。本研究在埃塞俄比亚西北部莱盖因特（Lay Gayint）新建的利什曼病治疗中心（leishmaniasis treatment centre, LTC）中招募了CL患者队列，并收集了详细的人口统计学与临床资料。研究结果显示，前往该治疗中心就诊的男性患者数量多于女性。70.2%的CL患者表现为LCL，20.8%表现为MCL；少数患者表现为DCL、复发性CL（一种罕见CL亚型，新皮损会出现在原有CL瘢痕的边缘）或多种临床表型的混合。患者病程时长跨度为1个月至180个月。超过三分之一的CL患者家庭中存在其他疑似CL病例。尽管多数CL患者曾听闻过该病，但仅有少数人知晓其传播途径或可被治愈。大多数CL患者居住在存在已知与CL传播相关环境危险因素的区域。本研究凸显了CL是莱盖因特地区的重要公共卫生问题，并强调亟需开展更多的CL健康宣传活动、优化健康教育与疾病管理规范。