title: Natural infection of bats with Leishmania in Ethiopia.
abstract: The leishmaniases, a group of diseases with a worldwide-distribution, are caused by different species of Leishmania parasites. Both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis remain important public health problems in Ethiopia. Epidemiological cycles of these protozoans involve various sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) vectors and mammalian hosts, including humans. In recent years, Leishmania infections in bats have been reported in the New World countries endemic to leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to survey natural Leishmania infection in bats collected from various regions of Ethiopia. Total DNA was isolated from spleens of 163 bats belonging to 23 species and 18 genera. Leishmania infection was detected by real-time (RT) PCR targeting a kinetoplast (k) DNA and internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1) gene of the parasite. Detection was confirmed by sequencing of the PCR products. Leishmania kDNA was detected in eight (4.9%) bats; four of them had been captured in the Aba-Roba and Awash-Methara regions that are endemic for leishmaniasis, while the other four specimens originated from non-endemic localities of Metu, Bedele and Masha. Leishmania isolates from two bats were confirmed by ITS1 PCR to be Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major, isolated from two individual bats, Cardioderma cor and Nycteris hispida, respectively. These results represent the first confirmed observation of natural infection of bats with the Old World Leishmania. Hence, bats should be considered putative hosts of Leishmania spp. affecting humans with a significant role in the transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: ayshek2000@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Aysheshm
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassahun
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jovanas@seznam.cz.
authors.forename: Jovana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sadlova
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, National Museum (Natural History), Vaclavske nam. 68, 115 79 Prague 1, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: petr_benda@nm.cz.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Benda
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: tatianakostalova@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kostalova
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, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. Electronic address: alonw@ekmd.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: hailu_a2004@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Asrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hailu
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. Electronic address: gad.baneth@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: volf@cesnet.cz.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Volf
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jan.votypka@natur.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Votypka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification / Q000469:parasitology*; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000235:genetics; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005843:Geography; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast
keywords: Bats; ITS1; Natural infection; kDNA