First Evidence of Antibodies in Sheep () from Southern Germany.

In Europe, is the most prevalent species, and this protozoan is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. A recent publication has shown that sheep harbor antibodies. This raises questions about the epidemiological role of small ruminants. Therefore, sera from small ruminants located in two southern German federal states, Baden-Wuerttemberg (BW) and Bavaria (BAV), were analyzed with an ELISA to determine the presence of antibodies. The species, sex and age (gimmer vs. ewe) were recorded, and a univariate analysis was conducted to determine possible associations. In total, seven sheep flocks (274 sheep/10 goats) from BW and seven sheep flocks (277 sheep/78 goats) from BAV were examined. In BW, four sheep from three flocks tested positive for antibodies. In BAV, the same number of positive sheep were detected but in four flocks. The total seropositivity rate in sheep was 1.45%. All goats tested negative. No significant association ( > 0.05) was detected between seropositivity and the variables evaluated. Our study reveals the exposure of sheep to in a non-endemic area. Further investigation is needed to determine whether sheep can be used as sentinels to identify new phlebotomine habitats and risk areas.