title: Exposure to Leishmania spp. and sand flies in domestic animals in northwestern Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is considered an anthroponosis; however, Leishmania-infected animals have been increasingly reported in L. donovani foci, and the role of these animals as reservoirs for human L. donovani infection remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a study of domestic animals (goats, sheep, cows, dogs, and donkeys) in three L. donovani foci in northwestern Ethiopia. Domestic animals were screened for Leishmania DNA and for anti-L. donovani IgG. Serum anti-sand fly saliva antibodies were used as a marker of exposure to the vector sand fly, Phlebotomus orientalis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 546 animals tested, 32 (5.9%) were positive for Leishmania DNA, with positive animals identified among all species studied. Sequencing indicated that the animals were infected with parasites of the L. donovani complex but could not distinguish between L. infantum and L. donovani. A total of 18.9% of the animals were seropositive for anti-L. donovani IgG, and 23.1% of the animals were seropositive for anti-P. orientalis saliva IgG, with the highest seroprevalence observed in dogs and sheep. A positive correlation was found between anti-P. orientalis saliva and anti-L. donovani IgGs in cows, goats, and sheep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The detection of L. donovani complex DNA in the blood of domestic animals, the reported seroprevalence to the L. donovani antigen, and the widespread exposure to sand fly saliva among domestic animals indicate that they are frequently exposed to Leishmania infection and are likely to participate in the epidemiology of Leishmania infection, either as potential blood sources for sand flies or possibly as parasite hosts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. kolarova2011@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rohousova
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot, 76100, Israel. Dalit.Talmi-Frank@weizmann.ac.il.
authors.forename: Dalit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Talmi-Frank
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. tatianakostalova@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kostalova
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. NPolanska@seznam.cz.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Polanska
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. Terka.Kratochvilova@seznam.cz.
authors.forename: Tereza
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lestinova
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. ayshek2000@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Aysheshm
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassahun
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot, 76100, Israel. dyasur@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yasur-Landau
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. CarlaMaia@ihmt.unl.pt.|Medical Parasitology Unit, Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal. CarlaMaia@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Israel Nature and Parks Authority, 3 Am Ve'Olamo Street, Jerusalem, 95463, Israel. king@npa.org.il.
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. vapid@natur.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Votypka
authors.affiliation: 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, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel. cjaffe@cc.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.affiliation: 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, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel. alonw@ekmd.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. a_hailu@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Asrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hailu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. volf@cesnet.cz.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Volf
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot, 76100, Israel. gad.baneth@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle; D004285:Dogs; D018397:Equidae; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan