() Infection in Wild Rodents from an Emergent Focus of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Yucatan, Mexico.

In 2015, emergent cases of localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) were reported in Tinum, Yucatan, Mexico. As part of an eco-epidemiological study to characterize the elements that trigger infection in that area, we conducted a field study to investigate the occurrence of infection in wild rodents. From November 2019 to February 2020, rodents were caught from three sites located in the municipality of Tinum, Yucatan. For each specimen, clinical signs suggestive of infection were recorded. Samples from the tail, liver, and spleen were taken for the identification of DNA by PCR. Twenty rodents belonging to two species were caught including (55%, 11/20) and (45%, 9/20). Fifty-five percent of the animals presented white spots on the tail, 15% had splenomegaly, and 5% had hepatomegaly. Fifty-five percent (11/20) of the animals were found infected by . was caught in all trapping sites and was the most infected species (63.6%, 7/11). The percentage of infection for . was 44.4% (4/9). () was identified as the infecting species in two . . This study provides, for the first time, evidence of infection in wild rodents from the Yucatan state. and . may be involved in the transmission cycle of . in this emergent focus; however, further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm their role as primary reservoirs.