**1. Introduction**

Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa, covering 165,000 km<sup>2</sup> . It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia's population was estimated to be just fewer than 11 million in 2014 (National census, 2014). It includes a contrasted relief with mountainous regions in the north where the Atlas range continues from Algeria, coastal plains along Tunisia's eastern Mediterranean coast and the desert in the southern region.

In this country, zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is the most frequent form of cutane‐ ous leishmaniasis (CL) and is caused by the parasitic protozoan *Leishmania major* (*L. major*) [1]. It is mainly transmitted by sandfly vectors, and rodents constitute the reservoir of the parasite.

The transmission dynamic of this zoonotic vector‐borne disease is complex: the seasonal activity of the vector species directly impacts on the transmission process of the parasite, whereas the length of the activity period and sandfly vectors abundances are affected by the environmental conditions that influence their life cycle [2].

Since its emergence as an epidemic in Kairouan in 1982 [1], the disease has spread in several parts of Tunisia, particularly in the central and southern parts [3]. The epidemics are cyclic, and annually, 2000–3000 cases are reported. Although ZCL is usually self‐curing and not life‐threatening, individual cases may be psychologically and socially damaging, especially women with indelible scars that skin lesions leave on their faces. For these reasons, the epidemics are considered as a major public health priority, which remains an unresolved problem until now in Tunisia.

Disease prevention and control are difficult because of the complexity of CL epizoology, and the few options available for effective vector control [4]. Furthermore, ZCL dynamic is influ‐ enced by environmental, demographic and human behavioral factors. In fact, in the recent decade, several new foci have been reported indicating the potential spread of the disease in Tunisia. Understanding the epidemiology, the distribution and the ecological structure of the Tunisian ZCL is a crucial prerequisite for applying efficacious control measures.
