doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.1321-1325
Share this article on [Facebook] [LinkedIn]
Article history: Received: 08-06-2018, Accepted: 14-08-2018, Published online: 24-09-2018
Corresponding author: Ravindra Nath Sharma
E-mail: rsharma@sgu.edu
Citation: von Dohlen AR, Cheathem N, Tiwari K, Sharma RN (2018) Prevalence of antibodies against visceralizing Leishmania spp. in brown rats from Grenada, West Indies, Veterinary World, 11(9): 1321-1325.Background and Aim: Leishmania spp. are known to cause disease in man and animals. Rats are considered important reservoir hosts and transmission takes place through the bite of female sand fly, Phlebotomus spp. To the best of our knowledge, there is no published information on Leishmania infection in rats in Grenada. This study was conducted to estimate the antibodies for visceralizing Leishmania spp. (VL) in rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada.
Materials and Methods: A total of 146 brown rats (R. norvegicus) were trapped live from two parishes (St. George and St. David) in Grenada. Following anesthesia, blood was collected from the heart through thoracic puncture. The serum was collected after the centrifugation of blood. Serum was tested for antibodies to VL. with a commercially available immunochromatographic dipstick test which is licensed for use in animals and humans.
Results: The seroprevalence of antibodies against Leishmania spp. was found in 34 of 146 rats (23.3%; CI 95% from 16.70 to 30.99). No significant differences were found between sexes and young or adults. The prevalence between parishes (St. George and St. David) was also not significant.
Conclusion: The results show that rats (R. norvegicus) in Grenada are exposed to Leishmania spp. The rats could play an important role in the transmission of leishmaniasis to humans and other animals in Grenada.
Keywords: brown rats, Grenada, leishmaniasis, prevalence, serum antibodies.
1. Jeronimo, S.M.B., de Quiroz Sousa, A. and Pearson, R.D. (2005) Leishmania species: Visceral (Kala-azar), cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. In: Mandell, G.L., Bennett, J.E. and Dolin, R., editors. Principle and Practice of Infectious Diseases. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA. p3145-3156.
2. Bowman, D.D. (1999) Georgis' Parasitology for Veterinarians. 7th ed. B.W Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA. p81-82.
3. Dantas-Torres, F., Solano-Gallego, L., Baneth, G., Ribeiro, V.M., Paiva-Cavalacanti, M. and Otranto, D. (2012) Canine leishmaniasis in the old and new worlds: Unveiled similarities and differences. Trends Parasitol., 28: 531-538. [Crossref] [PubMed]
4. Gramiccia, M. (2011) Recent advances in leishmaniasis in pet animals: Epidemiology, diagnostics and anti-vectorial prophylaxis. Vet. Parasitol., 181: 23-30. [Crossref] [PubMed]
5. Zeledon, R. (1992). Leishmaniasis in the Caribbean Islands: A review. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., 16: 154-160. [Crossref]
6. Liautaud, B., Vignier, N., Miossec, C., Plumelle, Y., Kone, M., Delta, D., Ravel, C., Cabie, A. and Desbois, N. (2015). First case of visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania martiniquensis. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 92: 317-319. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]
7. Rosypal, A., Tripp, S., Kinlaw, C., Sharma, R.N., Stone, D. and Dubey, J.P. (2010) Seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis and American trypanosomiasis in dogs from Grenada, West Indies. J. Parasitol., 96: 228-229. [Crossref] [PubMed]
8. Kumthekar, S., Chikweto, A., Chawla, P., Tiwari, K., Gozlan, J., Quentin, L., Martha, L.P., Paterson, T. and Sharma, R. (2014) Seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis in owned and stray dogs from Grenada, West Indies. J. Anim. Res., 4(1): 131-139. [Crossref]
9. Johnson, R.N., Young, D.G., Butler, J.F. and Bogaert-Diaz, H. (1992) Possible determination of the vector and reservoir of leishmaniasis in the Dominican Republic. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 6: 282-287. [Crossref]
10. Desbois, N., Pratlong, F., Quist, D. and Dedet, J. (2014) Leishmania (Leishmania) Martiniquensis spp. Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae, description of the parasite responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Martinique Island (French West Indies). Parasite, 21: 1-4. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]
11. Feliaciangeli, M.D. (2004) Natural breeding places of Phlebotomine sand flies. Med. Vet. Entomol., 18: 71-80. [Crossref]
12. Panti-May, J.A., Hermandez-Betancourt, S., Ruiz-Pina, H. and Medina-Peralta, S. (2012) Abundance and population parameters of commercial rodents present in rural household in Yucatan, Mexico. Int. Biodeterior. Biodegradation, 66: 77-81. [Crossref]
13. Burns, J.M., Shreffler, W.G., Benson, D.R., Ghalib, H.W., Badaro, R. and Seed, S.G. (1993) Molecular characterization of a kinesin-related antigen of Leishmania chagasi that detects specific antibody in African and American visceral leishmaniasis. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 90: 775-779. [Crossref] [PubMed]
14. Singh, N., Mishra, J., Singh, R. and Singh, S. (2013) Animal reservoirs of visceral leishmaniasis in India. J. Parasitol., 99: 64-67. [Crossref] [PubMed]
15. Lima, B.S., Dantas-Torres, F., de Carvalho, M.R., Marinho-Junior, J.F., de Almeida, E.L., Brito, M.E.F., Gomes, F. and Brandao-Filho, S.P. (2013) Small mammals as host of Leishmania spp. in a highly endemic area for zoonotic leishmaniasis in North-Eastern Brazil. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg., 107: 592-597. [Crossref] [PubMed]
16. Di bella, C., Vitale F., Russo, G., Greco, A., Milazo, C., Aloise, G. and Cagnin, M. (2003) Are rodents a potential reservoir for Leishmania infantum in Italy. J. Mt. Ecol., 7: 125-129.
17. Papdogiannakis, E., Spanakos, G., Kontoa, V., Menaunos, P.G., Tegos, N. and Vakalis, N. (2010) Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in wild rodents (Rattus norvegicus) in Greece. Zoonoses Public Health, 57(7-8): 23-25. [Crossref] [PubMed]
18. Caldert, E.T., Freire, R.L., Ferreira, F.P., Regffolo, B.B., Mareze, M., Garcia, J.L., Bregono, R.M. and Navarro, I.T. (2017) Leishmania in synanthropic rodents (Rattus rattus): New evidence for urbanization of Leishmania amazonensis. Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet., 26(1): 1-15. [Crossref]
19. Edward, B.B. (2002) Leishmaniasis in North America. Emerg. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis., 24(1): 306.
20. Weese Scott, J., Andrew, S.P., Maureen, E.C.A. and Martha, B.F. (2011) Parasitic diseases. In: Companion Animal Diseases. Wiley Blackwell, Ames, IA.
21. Otranto, D., Paradies, P., Sasanelli, M., Spinelli, R. and Brandonisio, O. (2004) Rapid immune chromatographic test for serodiagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. J. Clin. Microbiol., 42(6): 2769-2770. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]
22. Rosypal, A.C., Troy, G.C., Duncan R.B. Jr., Zajac, A.M. and Lindsay, D.S. (2005) Utility of diagnostic tests used in diagnosis of infection in dogs experimentally inoculated with a North American isolate of Leishmania infantum. J. Vet. Intern. Med., 19: 802-809. [Crossref] [PubMed]
23. Milena, S., Jan, V., Luc, N. and Peter, V. (2003) Leishmania tropica in the black rat (Rattus rattus): Persistence and transmission from asymptomatic host to sand fly vector Phlebotomus sergenti. Microbes Infect., 5: 361-364. [Crossref]
24. Ashford, R.W. (1996) Leishmaniasis reservoir and their significance in control. Clin. Dermatol., 14(5): 523-532. [Crossref]
25. Akhavan, A.A., Mirhendi, H., Khamesipour, A., Alimohammadian, M.H., Rassi, Y., Bates, P., Kamhawi, S., Valenzuela, J.G., Arandian, M.H., Abdoli, H., Jalali-zand, N., Jafari, R., Shareghi, N., Ghanei, M. and Yaghoobi-Ershadi, M.R. (2010) Leishmania species detection and identification by nested PCR assay from skin samples of rodent reservoirs. Exp. Parasitol., 126(4): 552-556. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]