title: Leishmania tropica in rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) in a focus of human cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania tropica, has recently emerged in urban and rural foci of central and northern Israel, and constitutes a major public health concern. Rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), the suspected natural reservoir, were trapped in the cutaneous leishmaniasis urban focus of Maale Adumim in central Israel and evaluated for L. tropica infection by real-time kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology. Real-time PCR on blood and computerized western blot serology analysis was positive for L. tropica in 58% and 80%, respectively, of the hyraxes tested. Phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 region indicated that similar genotypes were present in humans and hyraxes from the same habitat. The high rates of infection and exposure to L. tropica among hyraxes supports their involvement in the transmission cycle of this parasite, and their potential role as a reservoir for human disease.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Dalit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Talmi-Frank
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: Abedelmajeed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nasereddin
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warburg
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Svobodova
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Peleg
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D007043:Hyraxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer