Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ()

Leishmania (Leishmania)hertigi in a porcupine (Coendou sp.) found in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil

  • Denise Amaro da Silva,
  • Maria de Fatima Madeira,
  • Carlos José Lima Barbosa Filho,
  • Edvar Yuri Paheco Schubach,
  • Juliana Helena da Silva Barros,
  • Fabiano Borges Figueiredo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612013005000014
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 2
pp. 297 – 299

Abstract

Read online

Studies report the occurrence of Leishmania(Leishmania) hertigi in northern states of Brazil. In the present investigation, we describe the isolation ofL. (L.) hertigi from a porcupine (Coendou sp.) found in Brasília, Federal District, center-west region of Brazil. During a study on canine visceral leishmaniasis conducted in the city of Brasília, Federal District, a porcupine was found dead on a public road. The animal was identified and fragments of intact skin and spleen were collected for isolation of parasite in the culture. This report of the occurrence of L. hertigi in another part of Brazil may help establish the distribution of this parasite in the country. Further studies are needed to better understand the role of L. hertigi in the pathology and pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and its survival in mammals and possible vectors.

Keywords