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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Parasitol / Occurrence of Leishmania sp. in cutaneous lesions of horses ...
Veterinary parasitology2009; 166(3-4); 346-351; doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.09.001

Occurrence of Leishmania sp. in cutaneous lesions of horses in Central Europe.

Abstract: The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibited a close phylogenetic relationship to Leishmania sp. siamensis, an organism recently identified in a visceral leishmaniasis patient from Thailand. Future investigations will demonstrate if this form of leishmaniasis represents an emerging, and perhaps zoonotic, disease of European, or even global, importance.
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Publication Date: 2009-09-15 PubMed ID: 19800739DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.09.001Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article discusses the discovery and investigation of a new agent causing skin disease (leishmaniasis) in horses, mostly found in Germany and Switzerland, which is closely related to a strain (Leishmania sp. Siamensis) recently identified in Thailand.

Introduction

  • The authors of this study report the occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses originating from Central Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland.

Nature of the Infection

  • The infection was initially diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and immunohistological findings.
  • Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease caused by a parasite Leishmania, primarily spread by the bite of a phlebotomine sandfly.
  • This form of leishmaniasis discovered by the researchers results in skin lesions or ulcers on the horses.
  • Interestingly, the infections seemed to appear sporadically in different geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland, indicating a potentially broad but sporadic distribution.

Identification and Classification

  • The diseased organisms were identified and classified through comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), a specific part of the ssrRNA genome of these organisms.
  • The results showed that these isolates neither fit into the Old World nor New World Leishmania species, revealing that they are a novel species of this parasite.

Phylogenetic Relationship

  • The researchers concluded that the isolates have a close phylogenetic relationship to Leishmania sp. siamensis, an organism which was recently found in a patient with visceral leishmaniasis from Thailand.

Significance and Future Research

  • The findings of this study are significant because they reveal a potential new species of a known disease-causing organism which appears to be affecting horses in Central Europe.
  • This discovery raises important questions about whether this form of leishmaniasis could become an emerging, and potentially zoonotic (transferable between animals and humans), disease of European, or possibly global, importance.
  • Further investigations are needed to determine the potential impact of this novel species on public health.

Cite This Article

APA
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W. (2009). Occurrence of Leishmania sp. in cutaneous lesions of horses in Central Europe. Vet Parasitol, 166(3-4), 346-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.09.001

Publication

Veterinary parasitology
ISSN: 1873-2550
NlmUniqueID: 7602745
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 166
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 346-351

Researcher Affiliations

Müller, Norbert
  • Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-Str. 122, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland. nmueller@ipa.unibe.ch
Welle, Monika
    Lobsiger, Lisbeth
      Stoffel, Michael H
        Boghenbor, Kathrin Kühni
          Hilbe, Monika
            Gottstein, Bruno
              Frey, Caroline F
                Geyer, Claudia
                  von Bomhard, Wolf

                    MeSH Terms

                    • Animals
                    • Base Sequence
                    • Europe / epidemiology
                    • Female
                    • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
                    • Horse Diseases / parasitology
                    • Horses
                    • Leishmania / classification
                    • Leishmania / physiology
                    • Leishmaniasis / epidemiology
                    • Leishmaniasis / parasitology
                    • Leishmaniasis / veterinary
                    • Male
                    • Molecular Sequence Data
                    • Phylogeny
                    • Sequence Alignment
                    • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / epidemiology
                    • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology
                    • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / veterinary

                    Citations

                    This article has been cited 40 times.
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