A suspected new species of Leishmania, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in a Thai patient

Abstract

A suspected new species of Leishmania is described as the causative agent of the third reported case of autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis in a Thai man living in Southern Thailand. The results of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of ssrRNA and the mini-exon genes were different from those of previously reported Leishmania species. A direct agglutination test (DAT) revealed that antibody against Leishmania infection was detected in nine domestic cats. No potential vectors could be identified. A large-scale epidemiological survey of leishmaniasis should be urgently conducted since visceral leishmaniasis is considered an emerging disease of public health concern in Thailand.