title: First clinical case of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in a domestic cat from French Guiana.
abstract: We report the first case of natural infection of a domestic female cat (Felis catus) by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in French Guiana. The infected animal had a cutaneous ulcer on the nose and nodules of different sizes in the ears. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analysis of cutaneous samples that detected the presence of Leishmania parasites and allowed identifying the Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis species. The discovery of a cat infected by L. (V.) braziliensis suggests the possibility that cats could be potential secondary reservoirs of Leishmania parasites in French Guiana. Thus, it would be important to investigate the possible epidemiological role of domestic cats in domestic foci of Leishmania in this region.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, F-34394, France. rougeron.virginie@gmail.com
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rougeron
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catzeflis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hide
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Meeûs
authors.forename: A-L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bañuls
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D005616:French Guiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000235:genetics; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010802:Phylogeny