On 26 October 2012, veterinary medicine clinicians and researchers, members of Brasileish - Study Group about Animal Leishmaniasis - met at the Regional Council of Veterinary Medicine of Minas Gerais, in the city Belo Horizonte, in order to discuss many aspects of the situation of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in Brazil. In the face of recent national and international scientific evidence, we, the members of Brasileish, have elaborated some recommendations for the management and control of CVL in Brazil.

The induction of protective immunity to Leishmania amazonensis was investigated by injection of parasite clones of low and medium virulence into susceptible mice. To this end, L. amazonensis were cloned by limiting dilution and the clones' virulence was evaluated by the course of infection in susceptible mice. Clones originally derived from the spleen showed virulence variations in comparison with that of the parental population (PP) of parasites. Two low-virulence clones (SP 5 and SP 20) and one medium-virulence clone (SP 11), representative of the spectrum of derived clones, were compared with virulent parasites and with an avirulent strain (Josefa) as to their ability to induce T-cell immune responses and to protect BALB/c mice from infection with the virulent L. amazonensis PP. Clone SP 20 and clone SP 11 induced partial protection when injected by the intravenous and intradermal route, respectively. The avirulent Josefa strain induced neither T-cell responses nor protection. Low-virulence L. amazonensis clones can therefore be additional tools in vaccine investigation.

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Leishmaniasis is a tropical and subtropical disease caused by an intracellular protozoan transmitted by a bite from a vector, mainly from the genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia, and affects humans and other mammals, especially dogs. The main objective in controlling canine visceral leishmaniasis is to reduce the number of human cases by reducing its prevalence in dogs. In Brazil, glucantime antimoniate and Amphotericin B, utilized for treating the disease in humans, are prohibited so that only miltefosine, which is not employed for treatment of humans, is permitted for use in dogs. This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three different therapeutic protocols employed in the treatment of dogs naturally infected with visceral leishmaniasis. Fifty-six (56) dogs, of both sexes, were treated and evaluated utilizing three treatment protocols. The following protocols were utilized: association of several drugs; miltefosine associated with allopurinol; and immunotherapy with anti- Leishmania vaccine associated with Allopurinol. Immunotherapy was the most efficient protocol, followed by an association of drugs and miltefosine. The use of these protocols diminishes the constant relapses of the disease. Associations of therapeutic protocols produced clinical improvement of patients even with presentation of subsequent negative serology. However, the study did not include aspects related to hemoparasitoses, thus a further study is required.

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