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Although bats are one of the most abundant mammals in the new world and are present in virtually all ecosystems, including urban and peri-urban environments, few studies have investigated the role of these animals in the epidemiological chain of leishmaniosis. Here, we report a study of 683 bats captured in São Paulo county (southeastern from Brazil), which were screened by serology, parasitologic methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for trypanosomatids. The indirect immunofluorescent antibody test demonstrated that 0.9% of bats react positively for leishmaniosis and PCR detected the presence of DNA of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis in 18 bats and Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in 3 specimens. These results indicate that further studies are necessary to evaluate the role of bats in maintenance of the Leishmania life cycle, especially in areas where these diseases are endemic.

A case of feline cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported in a domestic cat (Felis catus) as an apparently natural infection in a non-endemic area. Amastigotes were seem in smears of a nodular lesion on the cat's nose. No parasite could be seen in cytological preparations of liver or spleen but DNA obtained from a sample of the spleen produced the expected fragment in a Leishmania specific rDNA based PCR assay. The PCR product, a 520 bp fragment, was sequenced and the nucleotide sequence was identical to that of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. These results are surprising since no autochthonous human or canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis have ever been reported from this region. This case suggests that natural transmission of this disease is occurring in this area, and that cats could act as a reservoir of L. (L.) infantum chagasi.