title: A newly emerged cutaneous leishmaniasis focus in northern Israel and two new reservoir hosts of Leishmania major.
abstract: In 2006/7, 18 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were reported for the first time from Sde Eliyahu (pop. 650), a village in the Beit She'an valley of Israel. Between 2007-2011, a further 88 CL cases were diagnosed bringing the total to 106 (16.3% of the population of Sde Eliyahu). The majority of cases resided in the south-western part of the village along the perimeter fence. The causative parasite was identified as Leishmania major Yakimoff & Schokhor, 1914 (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli), 1786 (Diptera: Psychodidae) was found to be the most abundant phlebotomine species comprising 97% of the sand flies trapped inside the village, and an average of 7.9% of the females were positive for Leishmania ITS1 DNA. Parasite isolates from CL cases and a sand fly were characterized using several methods and shown to be L. major. During a comprehensive survey of rodents 164 Levant voles Microtus guentheri Danford & Alston, 1880 (Rodentia: Cricetidae) were captured in alfalfa fields bordering the village. Of these 27 (16.5%) tested positive for Leishmania ITS1 DNA and shown to be L. major by reverse line blotting. A very high percentage (58.3%-21/36) of Tristram's jirds Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 (Rodentia: Muridae), found further away from the village also tested positive for ITS1 by PCR. Isolates of L. major were successfully cultured from the ear of a wild jird found positive by ITS1 PCR. Although none of the wild PCR-positive voles exhibited external pathology, laboratory-reared voles that were infected by intradermal L. major inoculation, developed patent lesions and sand flies became infected by feeding on the ears of these laboratory-infected voles. This is the first report implicating M. guentheri and M. tristrami as reservoirs of Leishmania. The widespread co-distribution of M. guentheri and P. papatasi, suggests a significant threat from the spread of CL caused by L. major in the Middle East, central Asia and southern Europe.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. roy.faiman@mail.huji.ac.il
authors: Roy
authors: R
authors: Faiman
authors: Ibrahim
authors: I
authors: Abbasi
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Jaffe
authors: Yoav
authors: Y
authors: Motro
authors: Abdelmagid
authors: A
authors: Nasereddin
authors: Lionel F
authors: LF
authors: Schnur
authors: Moshe
authors: M
authors: Torem
authors: Francine
authors: F
authors: Pratlong
authors: Jean-Pierre
authors: JP
authors: Dedet
authors: Alon
authors: A
authors: Warburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer