title: Diversity of Leishmania species and of strains of Leishmania major isolated from desert rodents in different foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is a polymorphic disease which may show various symptoms. Genetic diversity of the parasite is suggested to be one of the factors influencing the clinical manifestation of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used PCR for the detection and identification of leishmanial parasites at the species level and applied a multilocus microsatellite typing approach for investigating the genetic diversity of Leishmania major isolated from captured rodents in two foci of ZCL in Iran: Turkemen Sahara and Fars province.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ITS1-rDNA amplification and subsequent RFLP analyses were performed using DNA extracted from the rodents' ears. Approximately one third of the rodents tested positive for Leishmania; in all rodents L. major was the predominating infecting agent. Seven Rhombomys opimus were positive for L. turanica DNA and one for both L. major and L. turanica. DNA of L. infantum was identified in one Rh. opimus. Seventeen strains of L. major, 15 from Turkemen Sahara and two from Fars province, isolated from different rodents were tested for variation at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci. Ten different MLMT genotypes were observed. They were compared to 89 previously published microsatellite profiles obtained for strains of L. major of different geographical origin. Bayesian model-based and genetic distance based approaches confirmed that strains from Turkemen Sahara and from Fars are genetically different and belong to different genetic groups, largely corresponding to their geographical origins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The considerable genetic variability of L. major might be related to differences in reservoir host and/or to the existence of different populations of the vector, Phlebotomus papatasi.
authors: Parasitology Department, Medical Faculty, University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Charitè, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany amirzaeii@yahoo.com.
authors: Asad
authors: A
authors: Mirzaei
authors: Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Charitè, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Carola
authors: C
authors: Schweynoch
authors: Parasitology Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Soheila
authors: S
authors: Rouhani
authors: Molecular Systematic Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Parviz
authors: P
authors: Parvizi
authors: Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Charitè, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Gabriele
authors: G
authors: Schönian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology*; D007492:Iran; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D012377:Rodentia
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal
keywords: Genetic polymorphism; Iran; Leishmania major; Microsatellite; RFLP