Prevalence of Leishmaniasis in Rodent's Fauna in Turkmen Sahra, Iran

Abstract Background and Objective: Given the Leishmaniasis is endemic in Turkmen Sahra, we aimed to study the contamination of rodents with this disease. Material and Methods: Seventy-three rodents were collected from three regions (Gonbad, Gomishan and Bandar Turkmen) using live traps. In laboratory, morphometric characteristics were measured and for diagnosis of Leishmaniasis CL, the scratches obtained from their ears were examined by microscopic methods using Giemsa. Results: The most frequent rodents were Meriones libycu (10.95%), Rattus norvegicus (21.91%), and Mus musculus (67.12%). Eleven (15.06%) of them were infected by cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL). Conclusion: Because of infection rate, there is a high transmission risk of CL in the studied region. Keywords: Rodentia; Leishmaniasis; Turkmen Sahra; Meriones; Mus Musculus; Rattus Norvegicus