Studies on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Al-Kharaj area, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A total of 600 patients with lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis were diagnosed clinically as suffering from the disease; 138 (23%) were confirmed parasitologically for amastigote forms of L. major; promastigotes grown in culture were confirmed in 180 (30%) cases. Lesions varying in number and sites and the disease showed a high prevalence among non-Saudis (88%) labourers compared to Saudis (12%). Cutaneous leishmaniasis was found to vary seasonally with most cases reported during December to February.