Asymptomatic human blood donors carriers of Leishmania infantum: Potential reservoirs for visceral leishmaniasis in northwestern Iran

摘要

Background: Little is known regarding transfusion-transmitted leishmaniasis (TTL) and the real global incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) among blood donors as carriers of Leishmania spp. in endemic VL foci including Iran. Recent epidemiological evidences indicate that blood donor may be harbor of Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection in Iran.