Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 7 1 2012 03 15 45 52 EN F Sharifi Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran I Sharifi Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran M Zarean Research Center of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran M Hakimi Parizi Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran MR Aflatoonian Research Center of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran M Fasihi Harandi Research Center of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran R Zahmatkesh Provincial Health Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran M Mashayekhi Provincial Health Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran AR Kermanizadeh District Health Center, Bam Health System, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran 2015 10 03 Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis constitutes a major public health problem in many parts of the world including Iran. The primary objective of this study was to identify Leishmania spe­cies in endemic districts of Kerman Province, south-eastern Iran. Methods: This study was conducted by random sampling as cross- sectional descriptive between 2008 and 2010. Overall, 203 skin scraping smears were taken from the patients. Nested -PCR was performed to amplify variable minicircle fragments of Leishmania kDNA. Results: Bam was the most infected district (71.1%), followed by Kerman (14.7%), Jiroft (5.4%), Baft (2.7%), Sirjan (1.6%), Shahr-e Babak (1.5%) and others (3.0%).  L. tropica was the most common species identified (194 cases, 95.6%), while L. major was found in only 9 cases (4.4%). Of 203 identified patients, all species in Bam (l07 cases), Kerman (32 cases), Jiroft (l6 cases) and Shahr-e- Babak (l1 cases) were detected as L. tropica, whereas infected subjects in Baft and Sir­jan showed L. tropica or L. major. Characterization of Leishmania species resulted in generation of 750 bp and 560 bp fragments, corresponding to those of L. tropica and L. major, respectively. Conclusion: L. tropica is the main species (95.6%) caused ACL in endemic areas of Kerman Prov­ince; however L. major is present in low level (4.4%). https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/219 https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/download/219/218