Some Visceral Changes in Mesocricetus auratus Produced by Leishmania tropica

Follow up of viscerlizing induced by 5×107 promastigotes of Leishmania tropica was screened in golden hamsters along five times intervals (30, 45, 60, 75, and 90) days after infection. In addition of skin lesions seen in the footpads that varied from small 5.63± 0.57 mm to large 8.66±0.4 mm, many visceral changes were noticed in the infected animals. Significant differences were noticed (p? 0.05) in spleen weight ratio, spleen length and liver weight comparing with normal non infected group of animals. Our findings indicated that visceral changes in spleen and liver can be produced by Leishmania tropica in golden hamsters which may serve as a good model for leishmaniasis.