Abstract：
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a neglected tropical disease, is a major public health concern in Yemen, with Leishmania tropica identified as the main causative agent. This study aims to investigate the occurrence and distribution of Leishmania parasites in domestic and wild animals in CL endemic areas in the western highlands of Yemen. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Utmah District of western Yemen. Blood and skin scraping specimens were collected from 122 domestic and wild animals and tested for the Leishmania DNA using internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) nested polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on 20 L. tropica sequences obtained from animals in this study and 34 sequences from human isolates (collected concurrently from the same study area) retrieved from the GenBank. Overall, L. tropica was detected in 16.4% (20/122) of the examined animals, including 11 goats, two dogs, two bulls, one cow, one donkey, one rabbit, one rat and one bat. None of the examined cats and sheep was positive. The animal sequences were segregated into four different L. tropica haplotypes, with the majority of the animal (15/20) and human (32/34) sequences composed of one dominant haplotype/genotype. These findings represent the first confirmed evidence of natural L. tropica infections in different kinds of domestic and wild animals in western Yemen, suggesting these animals potentially have a role in the transmission of CL in Yemen. Therefore, a One Health approach is required for the effective prevention and control of this devastating disease among endemic populations.
摘要：
皮肤利什曼病（CL），一种被忽视的热带病，是也门主要的公共卫生问题，热带利什曼原虫被确定为主要病原体。本研究旨在调查也门西部高地CL流行区家畜和野生动物中利什曼原虫寄生虫的发生和分布。在也门西部的Utmah区进行了一项横断面研究。从122只家畜和野生动物中收集血液和皮肤刮擦标本，并使用内部转录间隔区1（ITS1）嵌套聚合酶链反应测试利什曼原虫DNA。对从本研究中的动物获得的20个热带乳杆菌序列和从GenBank检索的来自人类分离物(同时从同一研究区域收集)的34个序列进行系统发育分析。总的来说,在16.4%(20/122)的受检动物中检测到热带乳杆菌，包括11只山羊,两只狗,两只公牛,一头母牛,一头驴,一只兔子,一只老鼠和一只蝙蝠。检查的猫和羊都不是阳性的。将动物序列分为四种不同的热带乳杆菌单倍型，大多数动物（15/20）和人类（32/34）序列由一个显性单倍型/基因型组成。这些发现代表了也门西部不同种类的家养和野生动物中天然热带乳杆菌感染的第一个确证，这表明这些动物可能在也门的CL传播中起作用。因此,a需要采取“一个健康”方法，以便在流行人群中有效预防和控制这种破坏性疾病。
