RT Journal Article
T1 First clinical cases of leishmaniosis in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) housed in wildlife parks in Madrid, Spain
A1 Moraleda Berral, Pablo
A1 Gálvez Esteban, Rosa María
A1 Martínez Nevado, Eva
A1 Pérez de Quadros, Lino
A1 García, Juncal
A1 De la Riva Fraga, Manuel
A1 Barrera, Juan Pedro
A1 Estévez Sánchez, Efrén
A1 Cano, Lourdes
A1 Checa Herráiz, Rocío
A1 Jiménez Martínez, María de los Ángeles
A1 Montoya Matute, Ana
A1 Miró Corrales, Guadalupe
AB Background: In recent years, cases of leishmaniosis have been described in animals housed in captivity in zoos in Spain [Bennett’s wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus), orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygameus), and European otter (Lutra lutra)]. Some of these zoological parks are in endemic areas for both human and animal leishmaniosis, thus it should be very important to include this zoonosis in the differential diagnosis.Methods: The study was carried out in two zoological parks in Madrid, Madrid Zoo and Faunia, and analyzed seven meerkats. Serological tests [rK-39 and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)] and molecular tests [nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR] were performed to detect Leishmania DNA. Additionally, an entomological study was carried out in both zoological parks, with molecular tests performed on female Phlebotomus perniciosus sand flies to determine their blood meal source and detect Leishmania DNA.Results: Two meerkats were positive for L. infantum. A 9-year-old male from the Madrid Zoo died suddenly, showing pale mucous membranes and bilateral noninflammatory alopecia and hyperpigmentation in the lateral area of the eyes. Positive results were obtained in serology, nested PCR, and real-time PCR (blood, conjunctival and oral swabs, hair, spleen, lymph node, liver, kidney, and skin), as well as numerous amastigotes in the liver and kidney tissue samples. The other meerkat, a 12-year-old male from Faunia that is still alive, presented an alopecic lesion at the base of the tail. Positive results were obtained by nested and real-time PCR from different tissues such as blood, hair, oral, and conjunctival swabs. It was treated with oral allopurinol (25 mg/kg) and miltefosine (2 mg/kg), but the molecular diagnosis remained positive after 8 months, regarding it as a mild stage of the disease. The rest of the tested meerkats were negative. The presence of P. perniciosus phlebotomine sand flies was also detected in both zoos. Although no L. infantum DNA was detected in any of sand flies analyzed, it was determined that their food sources were rabbits and humans.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study describes, for the first time, the detection and infection by L. infantum in meerkats (Suricata suricatta).
PB Springer Nature. BioMed Central
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118304
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118304
LA eng
NO Moraleda-Berral, P., Gálvez, R., Martínez-Nevado, E. et al. First clinical cases of leishmaniosis in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) housed in wildlife parks in Madrid, Spain. Parasites Vectors 18, 31 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06647-1
NO Author Contributions:This study was developed and drafted by P.M.B. G.M. and E.M.N. proposed and designed the study. The manuscript was supervised by G.M., R.G., and E.M.N. L.P.Q., E.M.N., R.G., A.M., and G.M. coordinated, participated, and finalized the manuscript. E.M.N. and J.G., as Madrid Zoo’s veterinarians, performed the sample collection of cases 1 to 5. L.P.Q. and M.R.F., as Faunia’s veterinarians, carried out sample collection of cases 6 and 7 and applied treatments and follow-up of case 7. P.M.B., A.M., J.P.B., E.E.S., L.C., and R.C. participated in the diagnostic assays and were involved in the data interpretation. P.M.B., J.P.B., E.E.S., and L.C. carried out the molecular procedures. M.Á.J.M. performed the histopathological diagnosis of cases 1, 3, and 4 and finalized the manuscript. J.P.B., E.E.S., and R.C. helped with the manuscript draft. P.M.B., A.M., and R.G. performed the entomological study. A.M., E.M.N., R.G., and G.M. reviewed the final manuscript. All authors read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
DS Docta Complutense
RD 5 abr 2025