Rattus norvegicus (Rodentia: Muridae) Infected by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn. Le. chagasi) in Brazil.
In the present study we surveyed the fauna of phlebotomine sand flies and small mammals in peridomestic areas from a Brazilian municipality where the American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is endemic. A total of 608 female phlebotomine sand flies were captured during nine months in 2009 and 2010. Seven different species were represented with 60% of them being Lutzomyia intermedia and Lu. whitmani, both incriminated vectors of ACL. Lu. longipalpis, a proven vector of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was also captured at high proportion (12.8%). Genomic DNA analysis of 136 species-specific pools of female sand flies followed by molecular genotyping showed the presence of Leishmania infantum DNA in two pools of Lu. longipalpis. The same Leishmania species was found in one blood sample from Rattus norvegicus among 119 blood and tissue samples analysed. This is the first report of Le. infantum in R. norvegicus in the Americas and suggests a possible role for this rodent species in the zoonotic cycle of VL. Our study coincided with the reemergence of VL in Governador Valadares.
Laboratório de Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Fabiana de Oliveira
Fde O
Lara-Silva
Laboratório de Parasitologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil.
Ricardo Andrade
0000-0002-2025-8012
RA
Barata
Laboratório de Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Erika Monteiro
EM
Michalsky
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, MS, Brazil.
Eduardo de Castro
Ede C
Ferreira
Biodiversity Salvation, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Maria Olímpia Garcia
MO
Lopes
Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, Governador Valadares, MG, Brazil.
Aimara da Costa
Ada C
Pinheiro
Laboratório de Enzimologia Aplicada, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Consuelo Latorre
CL
Fortes-Dias
Laboratório de Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Edelberto Santos
ES
Dias
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology; D051381:Rats
D004247:DNA