Leishmaniasis in Texas: Prevalence and Seasonal Transmission of Leishmania mexicana in Neotoma micropus

Palaearctic origin of Leishmania

“…For example, the much higher prevalence of L. mexicana in Neotoma micropus than in other mammals is attributable to the fact that its burrows provide favorable habitat for the vector, Lu. anthophora (Kerr et al 1995). In addition, because infected mammals may live for several years, while infected vectors live only a few weeks, the mammals play a very important role in the persistence of infection in an area, and introduction into new localities (Kerr et al 1997).…”

“…Old World reservoirs include members of the subfamily Gerbillinae: Rhombomys opimus in central Asia (Kozevnikov 1963) and Iran (Nadim & Faghigh 1968), and Psammomys obesus and Meriones crassus in Israel (Schlein et al 1984). Nearctic reservoirs of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis belong to the subfamily Sigmodontinae: N. micropus (Kerr et al 1995, McHugh et al 1990 and N. albigula in the USA (Kerr et al 1999) and Ototylomys phyllotis and Nyctomys sumichrasti in Belize (Lainson & Strangways-Dixon 1964). Murid rodents originated in the Palaearctic in the Oligocene and dispersed across the Bering Land Bridge to the Nearctic.…”

Seasonal transmission of Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana in the state of Campeche, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

“…Even more rarely is the publication of the timing of appearance of infected wild hosts, potential reservoir of Leishmania spp. (Bettini et al 1980, Kerr et al 1995.…”

Short report: a focus of Leishmania mexicana near Tucson, Arizona.

“…Surveys in southern Texas determined that only one site in four sampled was a focus of L. mexicana. 5 The detection of L. mexicana in N. albigula in southern Arizona is significant for three reasons. First, this is a westward extension of more than 1,100 km in the known range of enzootic leishmaniasis in the United States.…”

“…2 Enzootic foci have been identified only in the semi-arid brush country of southern Texas, in a southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus)-sand fly (Lutzomyia anthophora) cycle. [3][4][5] We hypothesized that enzootic foci of L. mexicana could exist in the United States wherever sand flies occur in close association with rodents or other potential hosts of Leishmania. 2 Mead and Cupp 6 found Lu.…”