Detection of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies in sylvatic lagomorphs from an epidemic area of Madrid using the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test.
An outbreak of human leishmaniasis was confirmed in the southwest of the province of Madrid, Spain, between July 2009 and December 2012. Incidence of Leishmania infection in dogs was unchanged in this period, prompting a search for alternative sylvatic infection reservoirs. We evaluated exposure to Leishmania in serum samples from animals in the area with an indirect immunofluorescence test (IFAT). Using promastigotes from six culture passages and a 1/25 threshold titer, we found anti-Leishmania infantum seroreactivity in 9.3% of cats (4 of 43), 45.7% of rabbits (16/35) and 74.1% of hares (63/85). Use of promastigotes from >10 in vitro passages resulted in a notably IFAT lower titer, suggesting antigenic changes during extended culture. Postmortem inspection of seropositive animals showed no clinical signs of infection. The results clearly suggest that asymptomatic hares were the main reservoir in the outbreak, and corroborate IFAT as a sensitive serological surveillance method to detect such cryptic Leishmania infections.
['Moreno|Inmaculada|I|', 'Álvarez|Julio|J|', 'García|Nerea|N|', 'de la Fuente|Santiago|S|', 'Martínez|Irene|I|', 'Marino|Eloy|E|', 'Toraño|Alfredo|A|', 'Goyache|Joaquin|J|', 'Vilas|Felipe|F|', 'Domínguez|Lucas|L|', 'Domínguez|Mercedes|M|']
D000818:Animals D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan D002415:Cats D004197:Disease Reservoirs D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect D034621:Hares D018314:Leishmania infantum D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral D011817:Rabbits D013030:Spain D015047:Zoonoses
Immunofluorescence Hare Anti-Leishmania antibodies Incidental reservoirs Leishmaniosis Promastigote epitope expression