Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a
neglected tropical disease, is an important health problem in Fars Province, southern Iran. Fars, the fourth most populous Province in Iran, is the center of both anthroponotic and zoonotic
cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). Rodents, the reservoir of Leishmania major, play an important role in transmitting ZCL. In the present study, we report
Leishmania infection in calomyscid rodents for the first time in mountainous residential areas of Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, in southern Iran. Rodents were trapped in urban mountainous areas. The skin, liver, and spleen of rodents were examined microscopically for
Leishmania infection. In addition,
DNA was extracted from the tissues and they were evaluated for
Leishmania infection by targeting the
kDNA and subsequent sequencing of the nuclear
rDNA internal transcribed spacer two (ITS2) region.
DNA of L. major was detected in the spleen and liver of calomyscid rodents. Molecular evolution based on
DNA-sequencing of the ITS2 gene confirmed the taxonomic situation of the parasite as L. major. Our findings suggest the eco-epidemiological importance of calomyscid rodents in the foci of
leishmaniasis in the mountainous residential area on the plateau of Iran. These rodents may play a role in the transmission of
leishmaniasis in a residential area and could be considered a potential reservoir for CL.