Epidemiology of Leishmania infantum,Toxoplasma gondii,and Neospora caninum in Rattus rattus in absence of domestic reservoir and definitive hosts

Isolated environments are privileged settings to study transmission of infection. Montecristo is a small island where no wild or domestic carnivores are present. Invasive Black rats Rattus rattus (n = 78) were captured and tested by PCR for Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. We wanted to test, for these parasites, the existence of a sylvatic cycle independent of reservoir or definitive hosts. None of the rats tested positive by PCR for either T. gondii or N. caninum. We recorded a 15.5% prevalence (CI95% 8–26%) of L. infantum in the rats and Phlebotomus mascittii was captured in Montecristo, leading us to identify it as possible vector of the parasite.