Isolation and characterization of pathogenic Leishmania turanica from Nesokia indica (Rodentia, Muridae) by PCR-RFLP and ITS1 sequencing in Iran

Summary Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, primarily an infection of desert rodents, is an important endemic disease in some parts of Iran. In spite of reporting Leishmania infection in Nesokia indica microscopically , its role remains unclear in Iran. We report the first natural infection by Leishmania turanica in a wild-caught N . indica in the west part of Iran, near the border with Iraq. The evidence is in the form of PCR-RFLP testing based on internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) rDNA with Hae III enzyme and ITS1 sequence analysis. This isolate was highly pathogenic in BALB/c mice and golden hamsters and caused lethal systemic infection in the former.