The Role of the Leishmania infantum Infected Dogs as a Potential Reservoir Host for Toscana Virus in a Zoonotic Visceral Leishmaniasis Focus of Northern Tunisia.

ABSTRACT: The role of dogs as reservoir hosts for Toscana virus (TOSV) remains undetermined. This study investigated TOSV and Leishmania infantum infections in one healthy and three infected dogs with Leishmania (A, B, C) following natural exposition to sandfly bites in a focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) located in Northern Tunisia from June to October 2020. At the end of the exposition period, infected and healthy dogs were examined for TOSV and L. infantum infections by xenodiagnosis using a colony of Phlebotomus perniciosus. Pools of freshly engorged P. perniciosus at days 0 and those at days 7 post-feeding were screened for TOSV and L. infantum by nested PCR in the polymerase gene and kinetoplast minicircle DNA, respectively. In the exposur

SUBMITTER: Dachraoui K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10143639 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature