ArticleParasites & vectors2022
Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in rats and sand flies in the urban sewers of Barcelona, Spain.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- World Association for Veterinary Dermatology Consensus Statement for Diagnosis, and Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treatment and Prevention of Canine Leishmaniosis.Veterinary dermatology · 2025Guideline
- Serological and molecular positivity for Leishmania infantum in dogs referred to two veterinary hospitals in Barcelona, Spain.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Updated Canine Leishmaniosis Working Group recommendations for leishmaniosis in dogs: Q&A on clinical management.Parasites & vectors · 2026Review
- Genetic diversity of Phlebotomus perniciosus populations between insular and mainland regions in the leishmaniasis-endemic western Mediterranean area.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- The knowns and unknowns of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in selected countries of Central Europe.Parasites & vectors · 2025Review
- Agreement Document for the Study of Leishmaniasis from a One Health Approach in Spain.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2025Article
- A simplified system for the detection of antennal responses to host-borne volatile organic compounds in sand flies.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Analysis of the Current Risk ofTransboundary and emerging diseases · 2025Article
- Analysis of the current risk ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Identification ofMicroorganisms · 2022Article
- Leishmaniasis vectors in the environment of treated leishmaniasis cases in Spain.Transboundary and emerging diseases · 2022Article
- Epidemiological landscape in a Mediterranean hotspot of human leishmaniosis in Spain under a One Health approach.Pathogens and global healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundClassically, dogs have been considered to be the only reservoir of leishmaniasis in urban areas. However, in a previous study, we found a 33.3% prevalence of Leishmania infantum in the spleens of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) sampled in the underground sewer system of the city of Barcelona (Spain). The aim of the present study was to verify, using molecular methods, the potential reservoir role of these rats in the same sewer system.
methodsA sensitive real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were carried out to identify and quantify the presence of L. infantum DNA in sand fly individuals captured in the same underground sewer system of Barcelona as in our previous study and in the spleens and ears of rats captured in the same sewer system.
resultsLeishmania infantum DNA was found in 14 of the 27 (51.9%) sand flies identified as Phlebotomus perniciosus, and 10 of the 24 (41.7%) rats studied were infected. Leishmania infantum was found in the spleens (70%) and in the ears (40%) of the infected rats. Quantitative results revealed the presence of high loads of L. infantum in the rats studied (> 3 × 10
conclusionsThe molecular methods used in this study demonstrated a high prevalence of L. infantum in the underground sewer populations of both R. norvegicus and P. perniciosus. These results suggest that sewer rats, in addition to dogs, are likely to act as reservoirs of leishmaniasis in cities, where sewer systems seem to offer the ideal scenario for the transmission of leishmaniasis. Therefore, to achieve the WHO 2030 target on the elimination of leishmaniasis as a public health problem successfully, an efficient control strategy against leishmaniasis in rats and sand flies should be implemented, particularly in the sewer systems of urban areas of endemic countries.
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