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BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with diverse clinical manifestations is prevalent and remains a major public health problem in Iran and its incidence has been doubled over the last decade. The present study is about the potential role of rodents in the epidemiology of CL in Kharameh district in Shiraz, Southern Iran.

METHODS: From April 2004 to April 2005, a total of sixteen rodents were collected in live traps from the endemic area of CL in Kharameh district in Shiraz. Evans medium was used for culture. Specific polymerase chain reaction and isoenzyme electrophoresis methods were performed to characterize the parasite.

RESULTS: The rodent species were Tatera indica. Three samples from Tatera indica were found positive (2 males and 1 female in Kafdehak and Sejel-Abad villages) for L. major. Macrophages in the bone marrow of femoral bone were infected with the amastigote form of the parasite.

CONCLUSIONS: It seems that T. indica is the reservoir host for CL in Kharameh (a district in Shiraz, Southern Iran). It was shown that the bone marrow of the rodents is the tissue of choice for light and ultrastructural studies of L. major.