IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I VO L.22 (3) 2009 The Dwelling O F Two Previous Cases OF Kala Azar S. A. Salman Departme nt of Biology , College of Sciences ,Unive rsity of Baghdad Abstract This is a contribution to st udy the dwelling of two p revious cases of kala azar in the endemic area. In order to assess the p ossible ecological causes of the incidence and the p revalence of visceral leishmaniasis in central Iraq. Introduction The high number of the reported cases of kala- azar was in December, January, February and M arch (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) .The majority of the p atients were infants of two y ears old( 6,7,8,9). The central region of Iraq is the main traditional endemic area with this p est disease (1,2,4,8,9,10,11,12). Also the incidences was reported in north and sout h of Iraq 6,7,10,13,14,15 . M ahmodiya, Youssifiy a Latifiy a, Sowera, Aziziy a, M adien, Faloja and Abougreb are well known as t raditional foci of visceral leishmaniasis in central Iraq (1,2,5,7,8,14,15). The endemic area is a wide alluvial p lain, cultivated with many kinds of p lants. The human dwellings are cement or mud made and these of animal shelters are usually mud made. The villagers used the cattle’s manure as a source of energy . The man activities that affected the p revalence of visceral leishmaniasis in the endemic area were changed in the last decade (13). The breeding of the livestock makes a suitable condition for both the vector and the reservoir (3,4,8,9,10,11,12,13,14). Also the cultivated area was increased in Iraq during the last decade. Method and materials The dwelling of two p revious cases is in Al-M ahmodiya about 50 km in the sout h of Baghdad. The focus was visited biweekly during 1999. Two visits of a p hy sician were performed during 1999 for checking all the children of the focus with blood smears of about 15% of t hem. The entomological st udies were achieved by using four CDC light traps. . The meteorological data were reported from Iraqi meteorological service, and with small p ortable Thermo –hygrograph. The map of the human dwellings, animal shelters, wind direction and the exp ositions were designed. Also the resting and sleep ing p laces of the family in the nights and the places of the dogs were carefully noted during the study . IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I VO L.22 (3) 2009 Re sult and Discussion The two cases were reported in 1989 and 1998 resp ectively from the same dwelling. The p revious cases were a girl of 14 y ears old and her brother of 4 y ears old. Both cases had been infected in two y ears old (6,13,14,15) . The animal shelters are in the west of the dwelling (Fig.), where are very suitable breeding and feeding p laces for the sandflies (dark p lace, animals, manure, straw, deep soil cracks and humidity ) (1,2,3,5,9,10.13) . Also t he main directions of t he wind during the summer nights in Iraq are northwest with slow breezes. The previous cases which were reported in this focus during the three last decades were mainly in a few meters in the west of the dwelling. Unfort unately the resting-p laces of the two mothers were a few meters in the east of the animal shelters (3, 4) (Fig). Also in the hot nights of July and August the density of sandflies was the highest 2,3,4,9 . It was noted that the resting-p laces of the dogs were a few meters from the beds of the children and this fact increased the p robability of the infections rate in biting times (4, 7,10,14,15). This st udy p roved that The ecological factors and man made factors increased the probability of infections in the study focus (6,8,10). It seems also that the exp osition of human dwellings and animal shelters p lay an imp ortant role in the prevalence of the disease(6, 9,13) (fig.) Re ferences 1.Abul-hab, J. and Ahmed, S.A. (1984)Revision of the Family Phlepotaminae (Diptera) in Iraq. J.Biol. Scie.Resce. 7:1-64. 2.Abul-hab, J. and Al-Baghdadi, R. (1972 a)Seasonal occurrence of man biting Phlebotomus (Dip tera, Psy chodidae) in the Baghdad Area. Iraqi. Anal. Trop . M ed. Paras. 66: 165- 166. 3.Aul-hab, J. and Al-Baghdadi, R. (1972b) Seasonal occurrence of five sp ecies, Phlebotomus (Dip tera Psy chodidae) sand fly in Baghdad area. Iraq, Bull. End. Dies. Baghd. 13 (4): 55-75. 4.Abul-hab J and Al-Hashimi, W. (1988)Night –biting activities, Phlebotomus papatasi Scolp i. (Diptera Phlibotamidae) In Suwira Iraq. Bull. End. Dies. Baghd. 29:5-16. 5.Adler, S. and Theodor.O. (1929 a)The dist ribution of sand fly and Leishmaniasis in Palest ine, Sy ria and M esop otamia. Ann. T rop . M ed. Paras. 23: 269-303. 6.Nouri L&AL Jeboori T: Kala azar in Iraq: An ep idemiological and Clinical st udies J. Face. M ed. Baghdad 15:72-85. (1973) 7.Pringel G: Kala-azer in Iraq: Preliminary epidemiological Consideration. Bull.End.Dis.Bagh. 275-294. (1956) 8.Sukker, F. (1972) Visceral Leishmaniaes in Iraq. Bull.End.Dis.Bagh. 13 (4): 77-83. 9.Sukker .F (1974)Study on sand flies as vectors Kala-azar in Iraq Bull.End.Dis.Bagh. 15(2): 85-104. 10.Sukker. F.(1982) A study on sand flies in a focus of infantile kala-azar inIraq during 1978. Bull.End.Dis.Bagh. 20 (4):67-73. 11.Sukker, F. (1983) Epidemiology of Leishmaniasis in IraqBull.End.Dis.Bagh. 22(4) 35-41. 12.Sukker F. (1985)The possible vectors infantile of VL in Iraq.Bull.End.Dis.Bagh. 26: 27- 36 13.AL-ALAK, S.S. (1996)Study in the epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in M agger dist rict M ISSAN p rovince. M s. t hesis .Vet. College. Bagh. Pp .77. 14-Jawdat S .Z, Ali N .A, Rifaat L. Kh, Ruth K. Y and Al M ahdawi S. K. (1985). Serio- epidemiological st udies of Leishmaniasis in central Iraq. J.B. S.R. 16(1): 185-202 15-Jawdat S. Z, Ali N .A, Rifaat L. Kh. and Rutha KY(1983)The incidence of kala –azar in an endemic focus in central Iraq.J.B.S.R, 148:81-87 IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I VO L.22 (3) 2009 Fig.(1) showing the dwelling of the two cases of kala azar. T HE NEIGHBOR (A CASE OF A CHILD OF T WO YEARS OLD IN 1998) W N E FARM S T rees T rees Animal shelter Grass Space Grass 2 nd wife with her children (night) Well Visitors resting place in Dogs resting place T rees T he night T he common dwelling of the family Vegetable Animal shelter T rees T rees Manure Dogs resting place 1 st wife with her children (night) T rees Straw Poultry Grass Farm Vegetable Manure T rees Straw T rees Hill (Babylon’s vestige) New case in January 2000 Space New case in Feberuary2000 2009) 3( 22مجلة ابن الهیثم للعلوم الصرفة والتطبیقیة المجلد رلمرض الكاالازا دراسة مسكن لحالتین سابقتین شهاب احمد سلمان جامعة بغداد.كلیة العلوم . قسم علوم الحیاة خالصةال دراســة مســكن لحــالتین ســابقتین لمــرض الكــاالازار فــي المنطقـــة الموبــؤة بــالمرض مــن اجــل تحدیــد العوامــل البیئیـــة .المنطقة المحتملة لإلصابة و مدى عالقتها بالعوامل البیئیة و وبائیة هذا المرض في هذه