Isolation of Leishmania from a black rat in the Baghdad area, Iraq.
Leishmania was recovered from a black rat in the Baghdad area, Iraq. Leptomonads from samples of blood and tissues of this animal cultivated on NNN medium produced visceral leishmaniasis when injected into white mice. This is the first record of natural visceral leishmaniasis in a non-human host in Iraq.
D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D007493:Iraq; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats / Q000469:parasitology*