EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION OF DOMESTIC SHEEP WITH CULTURE-DERIVED LEISHMANIA-DONOVANI PROMASTIGOTES

Domestic sheep were intradermally inoculated with culture-derived stat ionary phase Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Sampling of site of in oculation, liver and spleen for 244 days showed that this parasite can stay alive in the skin for up to 28 days post-inoculation. Apart from pyrexia that was evident in all the animals for 42 days, no other sym ptoms of kala-azar were seen. No parasites were recovered from the vis ceral organs throughout the sampling period, suggesting that sheep are not susceptible to infection with L. donovani. It is therefore unlike ly that sheep can be synanthropic reservoirs for this parasite. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science B.V.