BACKGROUND: Human visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is considered an anthroponosis; however, Leishmania-infected animals have been increasingly reported in L. donovani foci, and the role of these animals as reservoirs for human L. donovani infection remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a study of domestic animals (goats, sheep, cows, dogs, and donkeys) in three L. donovani foci in northwestern Ethiopia. Domestic animals were screened for Leishmania DNA and for anti-L. donovani IgG. Serum anti-sand fly saliva antibodies were used as a marker of exposure to the vector sand fly, Phlebotomus orientalis. RESULTS: Of 546 animals tested, 32 (5.9%) were positive for Leishmania DNA, with positive animals identified among all species studied. Sequencing indicated that the animals were infected with parasites of the L. donovani complex but could not distinguish between L. infantum and L. donovani. A total of 18.9% of the animals were seropositive for anti-L. donovani IgG, and 23.1% of the animals were seropositive for anti-P. orientalis saliva IgG, with the highest seroprevalence observed in dogs and sheep. A positive correlation was found between anti-P. orientalis saliva and anti-L. donovani IgGs in cows, goats, and sheep. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of L. donovani complex DNA in the blood of domestic animals, the reported seroprevalence to the L. donovani antigen, and the widespread exposure to sand fly saliva among domestic animals indicate that they are frequently exposed to Leishmania infection and are likely to participate in the epidemiology of Leishmania infection, either as potential blood sources for sand flies or possibly as parasite hosts.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics The Institute for Medical Research Israel Canada The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem 91120 Israel

Department of Microbiology Immunology and Parasitology Faculty of Medicine Addis Ababa University P O Box 9086 Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Vinicna 7 128 44 Prague 2 Czech Republic

Israel Nature and Parks Authority 3 Am Ve'Olamo Street Jerusalem 95463 Israel

Medical Parasitology Unit Global Health and Tropical Medicine Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Universidade Nova de Lisboa Rua da Junqueira 100 1349 008 Lisboa Portugal

School of Veterinary Medicine The Hebrew University of Jerusalem P O Box 12 Rehovot 76100 Israel

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