L. major is the common and more widespread form of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Jordan. The reservoir host has been identified as Ps. obesus, and the vector, Ph. papatasi. However, it has been recognized in recent years that a particular cutaneous leishmaniasis form due to a variant of L. tropica also occurs in widely separated foci.
Human infections in these foci are occasional and sporadic, suggesting that they might be of zoonotic origin. In one of the four known foci, 55 cases were detected in 1994 and 23% of 626 people tested were leishmanin-positive. This represents a stable endemic pattern. Reliable evidence was found of Ph. sergenti as the vector and the hyrax, present in all these L. tropica foci, is suspected to be the reservoir host.
