Molecular detection of Leishmania spp. in cattle from Brazil by means of PCR using internal transcribed spacer 1.

Leishmania spp. are important agents of human and animal leishmaniases that have an important impact on public health. In this study, we aimed to detect the circulation of Leishmania spp. in cattle from a visceral leishmaniasis non-endemic area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. DNA was extracted from blood samples from 100 heifers in the municipality of Pirassununga and was amplified using primers specific for the first internal transcriber spacer (ITS1), to assess the presence of trypanosomatids. The assays revealed that one sample presented bands of between 300 and 350 base pairs. In GenBank, this sample matched 100% with Leishmania infantum (314 base pairs). The results suggest that cattle can be infected by Leishmania infantum in Brazil.