Abstract
Background: Sand flies are the only known vectors of Leishmania parasites. Various arthropods, including ticks have been suggested as secondary vectors of Leishmania spp. many years ago. This study was conducted to determine PCR-positivity of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis reservoir hosts and their ectoparasites for Leishmania spp. in central Iran. Methods: Microscopic examination and nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR) were used to detect and identify species of Leishmania and the results were confirmed by two methods, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing. Results: Totally, 93 rodents (Rhomombis opimus (n=92) and Nesokia indica (n=1)) were captured during different seasons and 9 different species of ectoparasites were collected from them. Out of 92 collected R. opimus, 14 were positive for Leishmania spp. by microscopic examination while one N. indica and 77 R. opimus were positive by nested-PCR. The infection rate of rodents with Leishmania major and Leishmania turanica was 39.79% and 15.05%, respectively. Mixed natural infections with L. major and L. turanica were seen in 15.05% of rodents, in 7.53% of the rodents with L. major and Leishmania gerbilli, and in 6.45% of the rodents with the three species. The leishmanial infection rate of the rodents was the highest (94.29%) in summer and lowest (45.45%) in the winter. Moreover, 39 out of 54 fleas, 5 out of 8 mites, and 1 tick were PCR positive for Leishmania parasites. Conclusions: The highest rate of infection with L. major and L. turanica in R. opimus populations was observed in the summer and spring respectively, and the highest percentage of L. major and L. turanica coinfection was seen in the winter. It is suggested that the role of L. turanica and the probable role of ectoparasites in the transmission of epidemiology should be investigated carefully. Xenodiagnostic testing is recommended for future testing.
A newly emerged cutaneous leishmaniasis focus in central Iran