War provides ideal grounds for the outbreak of infectious diseases, and the Syrian war is not an exception to this rule. Following the civil crisis, Syria and refugee camps of neighboring countries witnessed an outbreak of leishmaniasis. We accessed the database of the central leishmaniasis registry in Latakia city and obtained the leishmaniasis data of the period 2008–2016. Our data showed that the years 2013 and 2014 recorded a surge in the number of both cutaneous leishmaniases (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. This surge coincided with the massive internal displacement waves that struck Latakia governorate during that time. Subsequently, after 2015, the number of recorded CL and VL cases gradually decreased. This drop coincided with a reduced influx of internally displaced persons into Latakia governorate. Our report depicts the effects of the Syrian crisis on the epidemiology of leishmaniasis by outlining the experience of Latakia governorate. Similar results may have occurred in other refugee-hosting Syrian governorates.

A wide range of wound dressings is commonly introduced to target different aspects of the wound healing process. The ideal dressing should maintain a rapid healing at low cost with minimal inconvenience to the patient. Pharmacological agents such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and other wound healing accelerators are added to dressings in order to improve the properties of wound dressings. Honey, pomegranate peels and olive leaves extracts are suitable natural products with a wide range of antibacterial and healing accelerator properties. Impregnated gauzes containing starch based mixtures of honey and aqueous extracts of olive leaves or pomegranate peels were prepared and their antibacterial efficacy was studied. Different prepared mixtures possess an antibacterial activity against both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus comparable to synthetic tested antibiotics. Impregnated gauze prepared using starch based mixtures of honey and pomegranate peel extract were more potent against S. aureus compared with impregnated gauze prepared using starch based mixtures of honey and olive leaves extract. The prepared impregnated gauze does not need a secondary dressing and can be cut to fit around the wound due to their flexible nature. Soft elastic property of impregnated gauze provides easy application and removal after wound is healed without any damage.

Honey possesses many beneficial effects including antimicrobial properties which have drawn considerable interest. Six types of natural honey originating from Syria were randomly selected and tested for their antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from wound swabs. All the six types of honey showed antibacterial activity, however, Nagilla sativa honey sample was the most potent with a MIC of 25% (w/v%). Results of this study indicate that the antibacterial activity of locally available honey varies depending on their floral source. Further work is needed to identify factors which determine the antimicrobial efficacy of these different honey types. Their good antibacterial potencycould potentially be explored in vivo for the treatment of wound infections in patients.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been an endemic disease in Syria for decades. The first reports of CL from the Syrian city Aleppo date back to the 17^th century. The recent crisis has further empowered the spread of this infection not only in Syria, but also in the neighboring countries. Here, we describe a case of a 67-year-old patient with a 6-month, nonhealing ulcerative lesion of the left auricle. It was initially diagnosed as either a squamous or a basal cell carcinoma. However, the biopsy revealed an unexpected finding of Leishmania amastigotes in the histiocytes. Consequently, CL of the auricle, chiclero's ulcer, was diagnosed. Polymerase chain reaction, in turn, revealed Leishmania tropica to be the causing factor; a rather rare one for chiclero's ulcer. The lesion completely resolved after a 3-week glucantime regimen, without any recurrence after an 8-month follow-up.