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First molecular detection and identification of Leishmania species in small wild rodents from Turkey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2020

Mehmet Karakuş ,
Mehmet Ali Öktem ,
Mustafa Sözen ,
Ferhat Matur ,
Faruk Çolak ,
Muhammed Nalçaci Open the ORCID record for Muhammed Nalçaci [Opens in a new window] ,
Yusuf Özbel Open the ORCID record for Yusuf Özbel [Opens in a new window]  and
Seray Töz Open the ORCID record for Seray Töz [Opens in a new window]
Mehmet Karakuş
Affiliation:
University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, İstanbul, Turkey
Mehmet Ali Öktem
Affiliation:
Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, İzmir, Turkey
Mustafa Sözen
Affiliation:
Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Zonguldak, Turkey
Ferhat Matur
Affiliation:
Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, İzmir, Turkey
Faruk Çolak
Affiliation:
Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Zonguldak, Turkey
Muhammed Nalçaci
Affiliation:
Ege University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Biology, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
Yusuf Özbel*
Affiliation:
Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Izmir, Turkey
Seray Töz
Affiliation:
Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Izmir, Turkey
*
Author for correspondence: Yusuf ÖZBEL, E-mail: yusuf.ozbel@ege.edu.tr
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Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease infecting animals and humans. Two clinical forms (Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis) and four species are reported to be present in Turkey. Several studies have investigated canine and human leishmaniasis in Turkey but no study was performed to screen the infection among wild rodents, so far. The present study aims to investigate the role of small wild rodents as reservoir animals for Leishmania spp. in different regions of Turkey. Formalin-preserved tissue samples (spleen, liver, lung) of 712 rodents from 30 provinces were screened for the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA. Before DNA extraction, tissues were dried, rehydrated, and homogenated. Leishmania screening in rodent tissues and species determination was performed with a combination of real-time kDNA and ITS1 polymerase chain reaction protocols. Eight (1.12%) out of 712 animals were found to be positive for Leishmania spp. DNA and species typing revealed five L. infantum, two L. tropica and one L. major among positives. Leishmania major and L. infantum DNA were detected in Apodemus spp. from Zonguldak province located in the Western Black Sea Region, while L. tropica DNA was found in Meriones sp. and Gerbillus dasyurus from Adana and Hatay provinces located in Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. The present study is first to report natural infection of L. infantum, L. major and L. tropica in small wild rodents in Turkey, suggesting their possible roles as reservoirs. Further studies are needed for planning epidemiological studies and also for developing rodent control measures in risky endemic areas to break the transmission cycle.

Keywords

LeishmaniasisL. infantumL. majorL. tropicareservoir animalwild rodents
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 147 , Issue 10 , September 2020 , pp. 1088 - 1093
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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