Exposure to Leishmania spp. and sand flies in domestic animals in northwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundHuman visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is considered an anthroponosis; however, Leishmania-infected animals have been increasingly reported in L. donovani foci, and the role of these animals as reservoirs for human L. donovani infection remains unclear.MethodsWe conducted a study of domestic animals (goats, sheep, cows, dogs, and donkeys) in three L. donovani foci in northwestern Ethiopia. Domestic animals were screened for Leishmania DNA and for anti-L. donovani IgG. Serum anti-sand fly saliva antibodies were used as a marker of exposure to the vector sand fly, Phlebotomus orientalis.ResultsOf 546 animals tested, 32 (5.9 %) were positive for Leishmania DNA, with positive animals identified among all species studied. Sequencing indicated that the animals were infected with parasites of the L. donovani complex but could not distinguish between L. infantum and L. donovani. A total of 18.9 % of the animals were seropositive for anti-L. donovani IgG, and 23.1 % of the animals were seropositive for anti-P. orientalis saliva IgG, with the highest seroprevalence observed in dogs and sheep. A positive correlation was found between anti-P. orientalis saliva and anti-L. donovani IgGs in cows, goats, and sheep.ConclusionsThe detection of L. donovani complex DNA in the blood of domestic animals, the reported seroprevalence to the L. donovani antigen, and the widespread exposure to sand fly saliva among domestic animals indicate that they are frequently exposed to Leishmania infection and are likely to participate in the epidemiology of Leishmania infection, either as potential blood sources for sand flies or possibly as parasite hosts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0976-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Clinico-Epidemiological Patterns of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Patients Attending the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka

“…The results are supported by previous studies conducted in the North and North Central Provinces, in Sri Lanka [23]. However, in India and Surinam, leishmaniasis was common among students and housewives [24,25]. Animal husbandry (rearing cows) is one of the main occupations in this area.…”

Natural infection of bats with Leishmania in Ethiopia

“…It is obvious that L. donovani is the sole agent of human VL in Ethiopia with wide geographical areas (Hailu et al, 2006a). The recent finding of DNA in rodents and domestic animals (Rohousova et al, 2015) could also determine its host range. However, the absence of this species in bats doesn't reflect being refractory or the parasite's specificity.…”

“…Nevertheless, there is evidence for the possible involvement of zoonotic transmission with uncertain reservoir hosts (Ashford, 2000). Recently, natural infections of dogs (Bashaye et al, 2009), domestic animals (Rohousova et al, 2015) and rodents with L. donovani complex were reported in Ethiopia.…”

Clinical aspects and diagnosis of leishmaniasis in equids: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…However, several studies have sought to identify other vertebrates that can host and participate in the cycle of these protozoa (QUARESMA et al, 2011;GAO et al, 2015;KENUBIH et al, 2015;ROHOUSOVA et al, 2015). Among the investigations that have sought new possible reservoirs, there have been reports on equids showing clinical manifestations of cutaneous leishmaniasis (KOEHLER et al, 2002;SOLANO-GALLEGO et al, 2003;MÜLLER et al, 2009;SOARES et al, 2013).…”

“…Among the investigations that have sought new possible reservoirs, there have been reports on equids showing clinical manifestations of cutaneous leishmaniasis (KOEHLER et al, 2002;SOLANO-GALLEGO et al, 2003;MÜLLER et al, 2009;SOARES et al, 2013). Furthermore, prevalence studies conducted in Europe (FERNÁNDEZ-BELLON et al, 2006;LOPES et al, 2013;SGORBINI et al, 2014), Asia (GAO et al, 2015AHARONSON-RAZ et al, 2015), Africa (MUKHTAR et al, 2000KENUBIH et al, 2015;ROHOUSOVA et al, 2015) and South America (AGUILAR et al, 1989;FEITOSA et al, 2012;TRUPPEL et al, 2014;OLIVEIRA et al, 2017;BENASSI et al, 2018) have demonstrated that horses (Equus caballus), donkeys (Equus asinus), mules (Equus asinus caballus) and ponies (E. caballus) are parasitized by different species of Leishmania, such as Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania infantum and Leishmania siamensis, including cases of mixed infections.…”