Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Testing dogs for cutaneous leishmaniasis three years after Brazil
By Massunari, Gustavo Kiyoshi et al.·Published in Cadernos de saude publica·2009·Universidade Estadual de Maringá·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A serological and molecular investigation of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in dogs, three years after an outbreak in the Northwest of Paraná State, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 149 dogs in Brazil were tested for American cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a parasite that can lead to skin lesions. While some dogs showed positive results for antibodies, only two had visible lesions, and tests for the parasite in their blood and tissues were mostly negative. However, a specific test (PCR) did detect the parasite's DNA in some cases. The good news is that most dogs did not show new lesions, likely due to successful control measures taken after a previous outbreak.
People also search for: dog skin lesions leishmaniasis · American cutaneous leishmaniasis in dogs · dog parasite testing · dog leishmaniasis treatment
Abstract
Classic and molecular (polymerase chain reaction--PCR) techniques were used to diagnose American cutaneous leishmaniasis in 149 dogs from an area in the northwest of Paraná State, Brazil, where an American cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreak occurred in 2002. The results were compared to a set of previously obtained results. Twenty-five dogs had positive indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) (titers > or = 40), including two animals with suggestive lesions. The percentage of dogs with positive IIF was similar to that found in a previous study. The cultures of the lesion, blood and bone marrow were negative for Leishmania. A direct search for the parasite in the lesions proved negative, although PCR tests were positive. The PCR did not detect the DNA of Leishmania (Viannia) in the blood, even for those that had positive PCR in a previous study. The follow up of the 27 dogs showed that the majority of them had maintained the same levels of antibodies that had been detected previously. There was a reduction in the number of dogs with lesions, probably due to the transmission control measures that were adopted after the outbreak.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19180291/