title: First evidence of Leishmania infection in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: GIS analysis and phylogenetic position within the Leishmania spp.
abstract: Although the existence of a sylvatic transmission cycle of Leishmania spp., independent from the domestic cycle, has been proposed, data are scarce on Leishmania infection in wild mammals in Greece. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of Leishmania infection in the European brown hare in Greece, to infer the phylogenetic position of the Leishmania parasites detected in hares in Greece, and to identify any possible correlation between Leishmania infection in hares with environmental parameters, using the geographical information system (GIS). Spleen samples from 166 hares were tested by internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1)-nested PCR for the detection of Leishmania DNA. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on Leishmania sequences from hares in Greece in conjunction with Leishmania sequences from dogs in Greece and 46 Leishmania sequences retrieved from GenBank. The Leishmania DNA prevalence in hares was found to be 23.49 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 17.27-30.69). The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the Leishmania sequences from hares in Greece belong in the Leishmania donovani complex. The widespread Leishmania infection in hares should be taken into consideration because under specific circumstances, this species can act as a reservoir host. This study suggests that the role of wild animals, including hares, in the epidemiology of Leishmania spp. in Greece deserves further elucidation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Tsokana
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.|Research Division, Hunting Federation of Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sokos
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannakopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mamuris
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry and Natural Environment Administration, Technological Institute of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birtsas
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Hunting Federation of Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papaspyropoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valiakos
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production, Technological Education Institute of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Spyrou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lefkaditis
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chatzopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kantere
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Manolakou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touloudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece.
authors.forename: A Rodi
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Burriel
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferroglio
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.|Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Ministry of Health, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hadjichristodoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece. billinis@vet.uth.gr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Billinis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001483:Base Sequence; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004777:Environment; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D034621:Hares / Q000469:parasitology*; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: European brown hare; GIS; Leishmania; Phylogenetic analysis