A Newly Emerged Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Focus in Northern Israel and Two New Reservoir Hosts of Leishmania major

Abstract

In 2006/7, 18 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were reported for the first time from Sde Eliyahu (pop. 650), a village in the Beit She'an valley of Israel. Between 2007–2011, a further 88 CL cases were diagnosed bringing the total to 106 (16.3% of the population of Sde Eliyahu). The majority of cases resided in the south-western part of the village along the perimeter fence. The causative parasite was identified as Leishmania major Yakimoff & Schokhor, 1914 (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli), 1786 (Diptera: Psychodidae) was found to be the most abundant phlebotomine species comprising 97% of the sand flies trapped inside the village, and an average of 7.9% of the females were positive for Leishmania ITS1 DNA. Parasite isolates from CL cases and a sand fly were characterized using several methods and shown to be L. major. During a comprehensive survey of rodents 164 Levant voles Microtus guentheri Danford & Alston, 1880 (Rodentia: Cricetidae) were captured in alfalfa fields bordering the village. Of these 27 (16.5%) tested positive for Leishmania ITS1 DNA and shown to be L. major by reverse line blotting. A very high percentage (58.3% - 21/36) of Tristram's jirds Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 (Rodentia: Muridae), found further away from the village also tested positive for ITS1 by PCR. Isolates of L. major were successfully cultured from the ear of a wild jird found positive by ITS1 PCR. Although none of the wild PCR-positive voles exhibited external pathology, laboratory-reared voles that were infected by intradermal L. major inoculation, developed patent lesions and sand flies became infected by feeding on the ears of these laboratory-infected voles. This is the first report implicating M. guentheri and M. tristrami as reservoirs of Leishmania. The widespread co-distribution of M. guentheri and P. papatasi, suggests a significant threat from the spread of CL caused by L. major in the Middle East, central Asia and southern Europe.

Plant-feeding phlebotomine sand flies, vectors of leishmaniasis, prefer Cannabis sativa

“…S3B). Notably, Sde Eliyahu is an active focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania major and transmitted by Phlebotomus papatasi (24). We assume that the absence of Cannabis meals was attributable to the nonexistence of these plants in the region.…”

The MontpellierLeishmaniaCollection, from a Laboratory Collection to a Biological Resource Center: A 39-Year-Long Story

“…47 In the New World, a Leishmania enriettii focus was specifically investigated in Brazil. 48 In some cases, strain identification allowed the discovery of newly emerging or reemerging foci, particularly in Israel, 49 Morocco, 50 and Crete island (Greece). 51 The high richness of the collection allowed us to carry out various synthetic studies, based on large numbers of strains, such as the analysis of 712 L. infantum strains in Southern France 52 ; 213 L. infantum strains in Portugal 53 ; 100 L. infantum and L. major strains in Algeria 54 ; and 694 L. infantum, L. major, and L. killicki strains in Tunisia.…”

Treatment and Control of Leishmaniasis Using Photodynamic Therapy

“…Among all involved animals, the domestic dog and some rodents are the main sources of human infection in America and in the Middle East, respectively; therefore, being the majors urban reservoir hosts of leishmaniasis [44,48]. The proximity of this animal to humans complicates the disease control.…”