Natural infection of North African gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi) by Leishmania tropica in the focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis, Southeast Tunisia.
North African gundis (Ctenodactylus gundi) were trapped in the Leishmania (L.) tropica focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis, situated in southeast Tunisia and evaluated for Leishmania infection by real-time kinetoplast DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Species identification was performed by internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1)-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis of the 7SL RNA gene. Real-time PCR on blood was positive in 6 of 13 (46.2%) tested gundis. Leishmania tropica was identified in five infected gundis and Leishmania major in one specimen. Alignments of the ITS-1 DNA sequences and 7S-HRM curves analysis indicated that similar genotypes were present in humans, a sandfly, and gundis from the same region suggesting a potential role of this rodent as reservoir host of L. tropica in southeast Tunisia.
Laboratoire de Recherche 05SP03, Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
Nadia
N
Bousslimi
Soumaya
S
Ben-Ayed
Imène
I
Ben-Abda
Karim
K
Aoun
Aïda
A
Bouratbine
D000818:Animals; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000662:veterinary; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle / Q000032:analysis; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
C115990:7SL RNA; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle