First evidence of Leishmania infection in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: GIS analysis and phylogenetic position within the Leishmania spp

Abstract

Although the existence of a sylvatic transmission cycle of Leishmania spp., independent from the domestic cycle, has been proposed, data are scarce on Leishmania infection in wild mammals in Greece. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of Leishmania infection in the European brown hare in Greece, to infer the phylogenetic position of the Leishmania parasites detected in hares in Greece, and to identify any possible correlation between Leishmania infection in hares with environmental parameters, using the geographical information system (GIS). Spleen samples from 166 hares were tested by internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1)-nested PCR for the detection of Leishmania DNA. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on Leishmania sequences from hares in Greece in conjunction with Leishmania sequences from dogs in Greece and 46 Leishmania sequences retrieved from GenBank. The Leishmania DNA prevalence in hares was found to be 23.49 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 17.27-30.69). The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the Leishmania sequences from hares in Greece belong in the Leishmania donovani complex. The widespread Leishmania infection in hares should be taken into consideration because under specific circumstances, this species can act as a reservoir host. This study suggests that the role of wild animals, including hares, in the epidemiology of Leishmania spp. in Greece deserves further elucidation.

Geo‐climatic factors in a newly emerging focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in rural areas of north‐eastern Iran

“…L. infantum is the main aetiological agent of ZVL in the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East including Iran where canids are the main reservoirs of disease. But this species has been isolated from rodents in the main endemic focus of VL in northwest Iran (Fallah et al, ) and also in Greece (Tsokana et al, ), Spain (Ruiz‐Fons, Ferroglio, & Gortázar, ) and Portugal (Helhazar, Leitão, Duarte, Tavares, & Fonseca, ) countries. Recently, L. infantum was isolated from Mus musculus in Maraveh Tappeh and Gonbad districts of Golestan province (Namroodi & Saberi, Saberi, ).…”

Molecular investigation and geographical distribution of Leishmania spp infection in stray and owned cats (Felis catus) in Thessaly, central Greece

“…Regarding the canine population, the reported seroprevalence in seven regions of the Greek mainland was nearly 20% ranging from 2.05% in Florina to 30.12% in Attiki (Athanasiou et al, 2012). Recently, in a study conducted in Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki, the Leishmania DNA prevalence in hares was determined as 23.49% (Tsokana et al, 2015). Furthermore, the mean annual incidence of reported human Leishmaniasis cases in Greece between 1998 and 2011 was 0.36 cases per 100.000 population, with fluctuation during this period, generally decreasing after 2007, with a small re-increase in 2011 (Gkolfinopoulou et al, 2013).…”

Canine Leishmaniasis: An Overview of the Current Status and Strategies for Control

“…About 70 species of mammals, including humans, are considered vertebrate hosts of different species of Leishmania around the world, and some of them are reservoirs of the parasite in nature [ 1 ]. Although the natural infection in rodents [ 3 , 4 ] and canids [ 5 – 10 ] is more common, the parasite is able to infect xenarthrans [ 11 , 12 ], hyraxes [ 13 ], marsupials [ 14 ], chiropterans [ 15 – 17 ], lagomorphs [ 18 – 21 ], procyonids [ 11 , 22 ], felids [ 23 – 26 ], Perissodactyla [ 27 , 28 ], and primates [ 11 , 29 ]. Determining the precise role played by each host in the transmission cycle remains a challenge.…”