Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
LetiFend vaccine is safe and works against canine leishmaniosis
By Fernández Cotrina, Javier et al.·Published in Vaccine·2018·Unidad de Parasitologí, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A large-scale field randomized trial demonstrates safety and efficacy of the vaccine LetiFend® against canine leishmaniosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new vaccine called LetiFend® can help protect dogs from leishmaniosis, a disease caused by a parasite. In a trial with 549 dogs in France and Spain, those vaccinated with LetiFend® had significantly fewer cases of the disease compared to those who received a placebo. The vaccine was well-tolerated, and even dogs that had previously been exposed to the parasite could safely receive it without worsening their condition. Overall, the vaccine reduced the risk of developing clinical signs of leishmaniosis by about 72%, making it a promising option for dogs in areas where the disease is common.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis vaccine · LetiFend for dogs · symptoms of leishmaniosis in dogs
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum. Extensive research is currently ongoing to develop safe and effective vaccines to protect from disease development. The European Commission has granted a marketing authorization for LetiFend®, a new vaccine containing recombinant Protein Q. The efficacy of LetiFend® vaccination in a large-scale dog population of both sexes, different breeds and ages in endemic areas is reported in this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled field trial. Dogs (n = 549) living in France and Spain were randomly selected to receive a single subcutaneous dose of LetiFend® or placebo per year, and were naturally exposed to two L. infantum transmission seasons. Clinical examinations, blood and lymphoid organ sampling to evaluate serological, parasitological and disease status of the dogs were performed at different time points during the study. LetiFend® was very well tolerated and clearly reduced the incidence of clinical signs related to leishmaniosis. The number of confirmed cases of leishmaniosis was statistically significantly lower in the vaccine group. The number of dogs with parasites was close to be significantly reduced in the vaccine group (p = 0.0564). Re-vaccination of seropositive dogs demonstrated to be safe and not to worsen the course of the disease. The likelihood that a dog vaccinated with LetiFend® develops a confirmed case or clinical signs of leishmaniosis in areas with high pressure is, respectively, 5 and 9.8 time less than that for an unvaccinated dog. Thus, the overall efficacy of the LetiFend® vaccine in the prevention of confirmed cases of leishmaniosis in endemic areas with high disease pressure was shown to be 72%. In conclusion, this field trial demonstrates that LetiFend® is a novel, safe and effective vaccine for the active immunization of non-infected dogs from 6 months of age in reducing the risk of developing clinical leishmaniosis after natural infection with Leishmania infantum.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29525281/