First Report of Natural Infection of Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1776) with Leishmania major in Tunisia

Wissem Ghawar (1) , Mohamed Ali Snoussi (1) , Nabil Bel Haj Hamida (1) , Aïcha Boukthir (1) , Rihab Yazidi (1) , Sana Chaabane (1) , Joma A. Chemkhi (1) , Amor Zâatour (1) , Afif Ben Salah (1)

1 Institut Pasteur de Tunis

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania major (L. major), is endemic in Tunisia. Several rodents have been identified as reservoir hosts of parasites. This study reports, for the first time, the natural infection with L. major zymodeme MON-25 in a specimen of least weasel: Mustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1776 (M. nivalis) collected in Sidi Bouzid. This finding justifies further research on larger samples of this animal to verify its role as a potential reservoir host for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia.

Keywords: Mustela nivalis; Tunisia; Leishmania major

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Parasitology

Wissem Ghawar, Mohamed Ali Snoussi, Nabil Bel Haj Hamida, Aïcha Boukthir, Rihab Yazidi, et al.. First Report of Natural Infection of Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1776) with Leishmania major in Tunisia. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 2011, 11 (11), pp.1507-1509. ⟨10.1089/vbz.2011.0673⟩. ⟨pasteur-01375281⟩