ABSTRACT
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in Sardinia where 250 cases were reported from 1922 to 1988. The province of Sassari, in the north of the island, shows the highest number of cases. The vertical distribution of localities where cases had occurred is analysed and the age distribution of cases is given. Isolation of parasites was attempted in 12 cases, but successful growth of Leishmania was obtained from three cultures only. The stocks belonged to two different zymodemes of L. infantum: zymodeme Montpellier (ZMON) 24 and ZMON 24 MPI variant. The distribution of dermotropic L. infantum zymodemes in the Mediterranean area is discussed and the presence of a possible parasite reservoir is suggested.
Subject(s)
Isoenzymes/analysis , Leishmania donovani/enzymology , Leishmaniasis/epidemiology , Age Factors , Aged , Animals , Female , Humans , Infant , Italy/epidemiology , Leishmania donovani/classification , Leishmaniasis/parasitology , Male , Middle Aged , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
During the summer-autumn period of 1983 and 1984, 1408 specimens of Phlebotomus perniciosus, 74 of P. perfiliewi perfiliewi and 35 of Sergentomyia minuta were caught in emergence traps in a locality close to the village of Soleminis, a canine leishmaniasis focus 15 km from Cagliari, Sardinia. All the flies were collected from a breeding site inside an abandoned cement building. Male flies were highly predominant for all three species. A few larvae of P. perniciosus were also collected from the same site. This is the first finding of an abundant larval breeding site of P. perniciosus.
Subject(s)
Disease Reservoirs , Dog Diseases/transmission , Leishmaniasis/veterinary , Phlebotomus/isolation & purification , Psychodidae/isolation & purification , Animals , Dogs , Female , Italy , Larva , Leishmaniasis/transmission , Male , Phlebotomus/physiology , Psychodidae/physiology , ReproductionABSTRACT
Two promastigote-infected specimens of Phlebotomus perniciosus Newstead, 1911, were found in the province of Cagliari, Italy. The parasites from one specimen were successfully cultured in a hamster. The isolate was typed on 11 enzymes and shown to be identical with the reference strain of Leishmania infantum s.st. This is the first typing of a leishmanial organism from naturally infected P. perniciosus.
