Leishmania major in Meriones sacramenti Thomas 1922 in Nakhel, North Sinai, Egypt.

Leishmania major is a protozoal parasite of desert and savanna rodents, the vectors being mainly Phlebotomus (Phlebotomus) papatasi and very closely related species. Man in an incidental host, in whom usually it causes zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. In this paper, spot light survey was carried out in Nakhel to identify the role of animal reservoir(s) where a sudden outbreak occurred in Nakhel center. The trapped rodents were M. musculus, Meriones Sacramenti and Gerbillus pyramidum. Three isolates were obtained from the ear and/or spleen of 3 M. sacramenti. Isoenzyme characterization of the isolates using five enzymes showed the isolates to be identical with the L. Major reference strain. The results were discussed on the light of the work previously done in Sinai Peninsula.