Canine visceral leishmaniasis: Detection of Leishmania spp. genome in peripheral blood of seropositive dogs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR)

Monteiro, Fabrício Moreira; Machado, Amanda S.; Rocha-Silva, Fabiana; Assunção, Cláudia Barbosa; Graciele-Melo, Cidiane; Costa, Lourena E.; Portela, Áquila S.B.; Coelho, Eduardo Antônio Ferraz; Figueiredo, Sônia Maria de; Caligiorne, Rachel Basques

doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2018.10.036

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…To complement the serological test, we used a specific Leishmania PCR analysis. Among 302 tested dogs by PCR, only 21% were positive, a prevalence rate lower than that obtained by IFAT but similar to other findings [49]. The low agreement between PCR and IFAT was not surprising.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…This supports a study in northern Tunisia reporting similar results [18]. It is more likely that naturally selected local dog populations show no symptoms of infection [58], as several studies in CanL-endemic areas have reported that approximately 80% of infected local dogs are asymptomatic [49,59,60] and can remain so for a prolonged period of time [34,61,62]. Such asymptomatic dogs may play an important role in the transmission cycle of visceral leishmaniasis [63] as they can still transmit Leishmania to sandflies [63,64].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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Canine leishmaniosis in Tunisia: Growing prevalence, larger zones of infection

et al. 2021

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Background Discovered by Nicolle and Comte in 1908 in Tunisia, Leishmania infantum is an intracellular protozoan responsible for zoonotic canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and zoonotic human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL). It is endemic in several regions of the world, including Tunisia, with dogs considered as the main domestic reservoir. The geographic expansion of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) has been linked to global environmental changes that have affected the density and the distribution of its sand fly vectors. Methodology/Principal findings In this study, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey on CanL was carried out in 8 localities in 8 bioclimatic areas of Tunisia. Blood samples were taken from 317 dogs after clinical examination. Collected sera were tested by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT; 1:80) for the presence of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies. The overall seroprevalence was 58.3% (185/317). Among positive dogs, only 16.7% showed clinical signs suggestive of leishmaniosis. Seroprevalence rates varied from 6.8% to 84.6% and from 28% to 66% by bioclimatic zone and age group, respectively. Serological positivity was not statistically associated with gender. The presence of Leishmania DNA in blood, using PCR, revealed 21.2% (64/302) prevalence in dogs, which varied by bioclimatic zone (7.3% to 31%) and age group (7% to 25%). The entomological survey carried out in the studied localities showed 16 species of the two genera (Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia). P. perniciosus, P. papatasi, and P. perfiliewi were the most dominant species with relative abundances of 34.7%, 25% and 20.4%, respectively. Conclusions/Significance The present report suggests a significant increase of CanL in all bioclimatic areas in Tunisia and confirms the ongoing spread of the infection of dogs to the country’s arid zone. Such an expansion of infection in dog population could be attributed to ecological, agronomic, social and climatic factors that affect the presence and density of the phlebotomine vectors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Canine leishmaniosis in Tunisia: Growing prevalence, larger zones of infection

et al. 2021

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“…Besides, even if dogs had signs, their owners would not take effective actions due to the lack of knowledge of canine visceral leishmaniasis, its preventive factors, transmission, and treatment. Usually, female dogs are sent to ranches with the herd and even if they are not infected by sandfly bites, they may be contam-inated by mating with an infected male, which causes an increase in the population of asymptomatic infected dogs (8).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on previous studies, the owners of infected dogs and their families (generally under the age of 10) are more exposed to infection (6,7). Visceral leishmaniasis is acknowledged as one of the 17 "neglected tropical diseases" by the World Health Organization (8-10) due male dogs can infect female dogs through the semen during mating (8,19).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Characterization of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Asymptomatic Dogs in North Khorasan, Northeastern Iran

Taslimian

Shemshadi

Spotin

et al. 2020

Jundishapur J Microbiol

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Background: Leishmania infantum parasites are the main causative agents of visceral leishmaniasis that threaten a wide range of humans and canines in Iran. Objectives: Our aim was to survey Leishmania parasite species and simultaneous comparison of canine organs in endemic areas for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using the ITS-rDNA gene, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. Methods: In this study, sampling was done with vacuum tubes containing EDTA from blood and sterile swabs from the snout and conjunctiva of asymptomatic sheepdogs (n = 37) using a non-invasive method in north Khorasan, northeastern Iran, from 28 July to 4 August 2018. The DNA of collected samples was extracted, amplified, and sequenced by targeting the ITS-rDNA gene. To demonstrate the taxonomic status of Leishmania spp., sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis based on the maximum likelihood method. Results: We obtained 37 samples from asymptomatic dogs of which, 10 dogs were definitely diagnosed with L. infantum and one dog infected with L. tropica. The blood (n = 8) and right conjunctiva (n = 6) samples were the most infected samples. The highest number of infections in dogs was in the age group of 5-10 years indicating that this group is more sensitive to visceral leishmaniasis in this region. Conclusions: The current findings indicate that non-invasive sampling and molecular methods are reliable and suitable in the detection of visceral leishmaniasis. This is the first report of the visceral involvement of a shepherd dog with L. tropica in northeastern Iran. The remarkable occurrence of visceral leishmaniasis (29.7%) in asymptomatic sheepdogs reflects a health alert to conduct the surveillance and monitoring of susceptible individuals/reservoirs in the region.

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“…Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL) is a common veterinary problem worldwide, with recent prevalence estimates as high as 25–80% (Michel et al., 2011; Akhtardanesh et al., 2017; Baneth et al., 2017; Guven et al., 2017; Ruh et al., 2017; Al-Bajalan et al., 2018; Monteiro et al., 2018). Brazil is known to be especially affected (Borja et al., 2016; Torres-Guerrero et al., 2017; Da Rocha et al., 2018; Melo et al., 2018), with published reports highlighting increases in diagnoses and advocating for better public health strategies to be focused specifically on dogs (Camargo & Langoni, 2006; Lima et al., 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonconventional opponents: a review of malaria and leishmaniasis among United States Armed Forces

Beiter

Wentlent

Hamouda

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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As the United States military engage with different countries and cultures throughout the world, personnel become exposed to new biospheres as well. There are many infectious pathogens that are not endemic to the US, but two of particular importance are Plasmodium and Leishmania, which respectively cause malaria and leishmaniasis. These parasites are both known to cause significant disease burden in their endemic locales, and thus pose a threat to military travelers. This review introduces readers to basic life cycle and disease mechanisms for each. Local and military epidemiology are described, as are the specific actions taken by the US military for prevention and treatment purposes. Complications of such measures with regard to human health are also discussed, including possible chemical toxicities. Additionally, poor recognition of these diseases upon an individual’s return leading to complications and treatment delays in the United States are examined. Information about canine leishmaniasis, poorly studied relative to its human manifestation, but of importance due to the utilization of dogs in military endeavors is presented. Future implications for the American healthcare system regarding malaria and leishmaniasis are also presented.

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Canine visceral leishmaniasis: Detection of Leishmania spp. genome in peripheral blood of seropositive dogs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR)

Cited by 12 publications

References 23 publications

Canine leishmaniosis in Tunisia: Growing prevalence, larger zones of infection

Canine leishmaniosis in Tunisia: Growing prevalence, larger zones of infection

Molecular Characterization of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Asymptomatic Dogs in North Khorasan, Northeastern Iran

Nonconventional opponents: a review of malaria and leishmaniasis among United States Armed Forces

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