Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease infecting animals and humans. Two clinical forms (Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis) and four species are reported to be present in Turkey. Several studies have investigated canine and human leishmaniasis in Turkey but no study was performed to screen the infection among wild rodents, so far. The present study aims to investigate the role of small wild rodents as reservoir animals for Leishmania spp. in different regions of Turkey. Formalin-preserved tissue samples (spleen, liver, lung) of 712 rodents from 30 provinces were screened for the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA. Before DNA extraction, tissues were dried, rehydrated, and homogenated. Leishmania screening in rodent tissues and species determination was performed with a combination of real-time kDNA and ITS1 polymerase chain reaction protocols. Eight (1.12%) out of 712 animals were found to be positive for Leishmania spp. DNA and species typing revealed five L. infantum, two L. tropica and one L. major among positives. Leishmania major and L. infantum DNA were detected in Apodemus spp. from Zonguldak province located in the Western Black Sea Region, while L. tropica DNA was found in Meriones sp. and Gerbillus dasyurus from Adana and Hatay provinces located in Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. The present study is first to report natural infection of L. infantum, L. major and L. tropica in small wild rodents in Turkey, suggesting their possible roles as reservoirs. Further studies are needed for planning epidemiological studies and also for developing rodent control measures in risky endemic areas to break the transmission cycle.

Various species of sandflies were collected from outdoor natural resting sites from three districts in Kenya which are endemic for kala-azar (Machakos, West Pokot and Baringo). Their blood-meals were analysed to find out host preferences. Female fed-flies were dissected for parasitological investigation. Lizards from these areas were also trapped and blood and internal organs were examined and cultured for isolation of leishmania parasites. Only the lizards obtained from West Pokot and Baringo revealed leishmania parasites in cultures. Bloodmeal analysis showed that Phlebotomus anten-natus, P. bedfordi, P. schwetzi, P. africanus, P. martini, P. affinis and P. rodhaini fed on reptiles. Additionally, promastigotes were seen and isolated from these sandfly species. The disease incidence appears to be less in areas where leishmania parasites were encountered both in lizards and the sandflies in the same locality.