Genetic evidence of enzootic leishmaniasis in a stray canine and Texas mouse from sites in west and central Texas.

Evan J Kipp,Margaret Weigel,Rodrigo X Armijos,Jacqueline Mariscal,Kenneth Waldrup

doi:10.1590/0074-02760160225

Abstract

We detected Leishmania mexicana in skin biopsies taken from a stray canine (Canis familiaris) and Texas mouse (Peromyscus attwateri) at two ecologically disparate sites in west and central Texas using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A single PCR-positive dog was identified from a sample of 96 stray canines and was collected in a peri-urban area in El Paso County, Texas. The PCR-positive P. attwateri was trapped at a wildlife reserve in Mason County, Texas, from a convenience sample of 20 sylvatic mammals of different species. To our knowledge, this represents the first description of L. mexicana in west Texas and extends the known geographic range of the parasite to an area that includes the arid Chihuahuan Desert. Our finding of L. mexicana in P. attwateri represents a new host record and is the first description of the parasite in a wild peromyscid rodent in the United States.

Highlights

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by protozoal parasites of the genus Leishmania, is a serious public health problem and the cause of significant morbidity throughout the world, with a preponderance of the disease burden occurring in the world’s tropical and subtropical nations (Alvar et al 2012, Reithinger et al 2007)
Sporadic cases of autochthonous human cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. mexicana have been described in south and central Texas throughout much of the twentieth century, with an apparent increase in incidence seen in recent years (Clarke et al 2013)
In order to mitigate the potential for new human cases, it is essential that future studies attempt to investigate enzootic transmission of L. mexicana in established and emerging foci across these regions

Summary

Introduction

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by protozoal parasites of the genus Leishmania, is a serious public health problem and the cause of significant morbidity throughout the world, with a preponderance of the disease burden occurring in the world’s tropical and subtropical nations (Alvar et al 2012, Reithinger et al 2007). Recent case reports and predicted vector and reservoir distribution modeling studies have suggested that transmission of L. mexicana across a larger and more northern geographic range in the United States is possible in coming years due to a variety of anthropogenic and ecological factors (i.e., climate change, urbanisation, and human encroachment) and having the potential to further increase incidence of the disease (McHugh et al 1996, González et al 2010, Clarke et al 2013). In order to mitigate the potential for new human cases, it is essential that future studies attempt to investigate enzootic transmission of L. mexicana in established and emerging foci across these regions.

Results

Conclusion