Feline leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum in Northwest Iran: The role of cats in endemic areas of visceral leishmaniosis

Visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) is an important zoonotic disease endemic in the Mediterranean region. Domestic dogs and other wild canines are the main reservoir hosts for the parasite, while domestic cats (Felis catus) may be carriers of L. infantum, and play a role as secondary reservoirs for the parasite. In the present study, serological (DAT), parasitological (microscopic smears and culture) and molecular methods (nested PCR) were used to evaluate infection with L. infantum in 103 stray cats collected from villages of Meshkin Shahr district, located in Ardabil province which is a well-known endemic region of human and canine visceral leishmaniosis in Iran. Overall, 25 out of 103 cats (24.27%) displayed anti-Leishmania antibodies with different titers. Amastigote forms of the parasite were detected in microscopic smears of the spleen of a cat with high anti-Leishmania antibodies using DAT. L. infantum was identified on microscopic slides by nested PCR, and the results were confirmed by sequence analysis. Based on the high rate of seropositive cats in this study, we conclude that cats may have an important role in the maintenance of L. infantum in the endemic areas of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis in Iran.