Serological investigation of Leishmania infantum, Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs from southern Portugal

Maia, Carla; Coimbra, Mónica; Ramos, Cláudia; Cristóvão, José Manuel; Cardoso, Luı́s; Campino, Lenea

doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0771-z

Cited by 27 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…Filarial infections were detected in 26 (11.3 %; CI: 7.5–16.1 %) blood samples: 24 (10.4 %; CI: 6.8–15.1 %) dogs harboured D. immitis only, one (0.4 %; CI: 0.01–2.4 %) dog A. reconditum only and another one (0.4 %; CI: 0.01–2.4 %) A. drancunculoides in co-infection with D. immitis . This corroborates the previous reports on the circulation of these nematodes in the south and central regions of Portugal [ 9 , 12 – 14 ]. D. immitis prevalence in the present study (10.9 %; CI: 7.2–15.6 %) was lower (although non-significantly; P = 0.111) than the overall prevalence of 15.1 % (105/696) recently obtained in three coastal areas of central and southern-central Portugal [ 14 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Wolbachia spp. DNA has also been detected in D. immitis infected dogs from the centre and south of Portugal [ 11 , 12 ], and A. reconditum and A. drancunculoides infections have been reported in animals from the same areas [ 13 , 14 ]. Furthermore, D. repens microfilariae were recently detected in one dog from the Algarve region, the southernmost region of continental Portugal [ 15 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study was carried out with a considerable number of dogs ( n = 230), which were mainly owned and tame ones. On the contrary, previous investigations on canine filarial infections in southern Portugal had either been carried out exclusively with shelter dogs [ 13 , 14 ] or with not so many ( n = 157) domestic dogs [ 12 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal

et al. 2016

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BackgroundLeishmaniosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis caused by the nematodes Dirofilaria immitis or Dirofilaria repens are vector-borne zoonoses widely present in the Mediterranean basin. In addition, some studies reported that the endosymbiont Wolbachia spp. play a role in the biology and pathogenesis of filarial parasites. The aim of this work was to evaluate the frequency of mono- and co-infections by L. infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. and their association with clinical signs in dogs from the south of Portugal. Leishmanial, filarial and Wolbachia spp. DNA were evaluated by specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays in blood samples from 230 dogs.FindingsOne hundred and thirty-nine (60.4 %) dogs were qPCR-positive for L. infantum and 26 (11.3 %) for filariae (24 for D. immitis only, one D. immitis and for Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides and another one for Acanthocheilonema reconditum only). Wolbachia spp. DNA was amplified from 16 (64.0 %) out of the 25 D. immitis-positive dogs. Nineteen (8.3 %) dogs were co-infected with L. infantum and D. immitis, including the one (0.4 %) A. drancunculoides-positive animal. In dogs without clinical signs consistent with leishmaniosis and/or dirofilariosis, L. infantum prevalence was 69 %, whereas in those dogs with at least one clinical manifestation compatible with any of the two parasitoses prevalence was 42.7 %. Leishmania prevalence was significantly higher in apparently healthy mongrels (77.2 %) and pets (76.9 %) than in defined-breed dogs (including crosses; 58.8 %) and in dogs with an aptitude other than pet (i.e. farm, guard, hunting, shepherd or stray), respectively, whereas in those dogs with at least one clinical sign, the detection of L. infantum DNA was higher in males (53.3 %) and in those dogs not receiving insect repellents (52.8 %).ConclusionsThe molecular detection of canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) agents, some of which are zoonotic, reinforces the need to implement efficient prophylactic measures, such as insect repellents and macrocyclic lactones (including compliance to administration), in the geographical areas where these agents are distributed, with the view to prevent infection and disease among mammalian hosts including humans.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal

et al. 2016

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“…The cardiopulmonary nematodes Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum are increasingly reported in dogs and are responsible for two diseases with overlapping endemic areas, especially in Europe: angiostrongylosis and dirofilariosis [ 1 – 3 ]. The reasons for their apparent emergence have been discussed in several recent studies; increased disease awareness, the availability of better diagnostic tools and climatic changes are considered the main causes of the recent spread of these parasites [ 2 – 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum: the contemporaneous detection in kennels

et al. 2015

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BackgroundThe cardiopulmonary nematodes Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum are increasingly reported in dogs and are responsible for two diseases with overlapping endemic areas, especially in Europe: dirofilariosis and angiostrongylosis. The reasons for their apparent emergence are unknown, but several factors (e.g. increased disease awareness, better diagnostic tools, climatic changes, seasonal population dynamics and movements of animals) may play a role in the recent rise in reports of infection in the various countries of Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of D. immitis (by DiroCHECK® ELISA) and the fecal presence of first stage larvae (L1) of A. vasorum (by FLOTAC) in dogs from 68 kennels of the Campania region (southern Italy). The fecal samples were collected from pooled samples using the box as epidemiological unit. To the authors’s knowledge, this is the first cross-sectional survey conducted at regional-scale in Italy and in Europe on the contemporaneous detection of D. immitis antigens and A. vasorum L1 in kennels.ResultsAntigens of D. immitis were detected in 24/537 (4.4 %; 95 % Confidence Interval = 3.0–6.7) dogs in 6 out of the 68 kennels (8.8 %; 95 % CI = 3.6–18.9). The 24 positive samples for D. immitis antigen were tested also with AngioDetect® and only 1 sample was seropositive for A. vasorum with a prevalence of 4.2 %. A. vasorum L1 were detected in dogs from 9 out of the 68 kennels (13.2 %; 95 % CI = 21.8–44.9). Pooled fecal samples from 25 boxes out of the 1360 analyzed resulted positive to A. vasorum L1 (1.8 %; 95 % CI = 1.2–2.7).ConclusionsThe present study indicates that cardiopulmonary nematodes are present in Campania region in symptomatic dogs as well as in asymptomatic ones. Therefore, regular parasitological surveillance, appropriate treatment strategies and high quality standard of hygiene are required to guarantee the health and welfare of kennel dogs.

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“…Whenever available, data on sex, breed, coat length, coat colour, age, use of insecticides and presence of clinical signs compatible with leishmaniosis (namely muscular atrophy, cutaneous lesions, epistaxis, lameness, lymphadenomegaly, onychogryphosis, ocular lesions, pale mucous membranes or weight loss; [20]) were recorded for each dog. Blood and serum samples were obtained from previous epidemiological studies regarding exposure to L. infantum or Toscana and sand fly fever Sicilian viruses [21][22][23][24].…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Leishmania infection and exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus using minimal and non-invasive canine samples

Maia¹,

Cristóvão²,

Pereira³

et al. 2020

Parasites Vectors

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Background: In endemic areas of zoonotic leishmaniosis caused by L. infantum, early detection of Leishmania infection in dogs is essential to control the dissemination of the parasite to humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serological and/or molecular diagnostic performance of minimally and non-invasive samples (conjunctiva cells (CS) and peripheral blood (PB)) for monitoring Leishmania infection/exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus salivary antigens in dogs at the beginning and the end of sand fly seasonal activity (May and October, respectively) and to assess associated risks factors. Methods:A total of 208 sheltered dogs from endemic areas of leishmaniosis were screened. Leishmania DNA detection in PB on filter paper and CS was performed by nested-PCR (nPCR), while the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies was performed using IFAT and ELISA. The exposure to P. perniciosus salivary antigens (SGH, rSP01 and rSP03B + rSP01) was measured by ELISA.Results: Ninety-seven (46.6%) and 116 (55.8%) of the 208 dogs were positive to Leishmania antibodies or DNA by at least one test at the beginning and end of the sand fly season, respectively. IFAT and ELISA presented a substantial agreement in the serodiagnosis of leishmaniosis. Discrepant PB nPCR results were obtained between sampling points. Leishmania DNA was detected in CS of 72 dogs at the end of the phlebotomine season. The presence of antibodies to the parasite measured by ELISA was significantly higher in dogs presenting clinical signs compatible with leishmaniosis at both sampling points. Phlebotomus perniciosus salivary antibodies were detected in 179 (86.1%) and 198 (95.2%) of the screened dogs at the beginning and end of the phlebotomine season, respectively. Conclusions:The association between ELISA positivity and clinical signs suggests its usefulness to confirm a clinical suspicion. CS nPCR seems to be an effective and non-invasive method for assessing early exposure to the parasite. PB nPCR should not be used as the sole diagnostic tool to monitor Leishmania infection. The correlation between the levels of antibodies to P. perniciosus saliva and Leishmania antibodies suggests the use of a humoral response to sand fly salivary antigens as biomarkers of L. infantum infection.

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Serological investigation of Leishmania infantum, Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs from southern Portugal

Cited by 27 publications

References 23 publications

Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal

Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal

Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum: the contemporaneous detection in kennels

Monitoring Leishmania infection and exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus using minimal and non-invasive canine samples

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