Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
qPCR testing of dog hair and earwax detects leishmaniosis in Brazil
By Belinchón-Lorenzo, Silvia et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2019·Veterinary Faculty, Spain·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Application of qPCR method to hair and cerumen samples for the diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis in Araçatuba, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 16 dogs in Brazil with confirmed leishmaniosis (a serious disease caused by a parasite) had their blood, hair, and ear wax tested to see which sample type was best for diagnosis. The tests showed that ear wax was the most effective, correctly identifying the disease in 87.5% of cases, while hair from lesions and healthy skin were also useful but less so. This method is promising because it allows for non-invasive testing, making it easier to diagnose dogs without needing invasive procedures.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis symptoms · how to test for leishmaniosis in dogs · non-invasive dog disease diagnosis
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) remains a serious public health problem in Brazil. Dogs are the main hosts of the parasite, developing canine leishmaniosis (CanL), hence the importance of an accurate diagnosis of the animals. Recently, the application of qPCR method to non-invasive samples obtained from dogs with CanL has shown high sensitivity. Thus, we analyzed by qPCR blood, hair (from healthy zones and cutaneous lesions) and cerumen of 16 dogs with confirmed leishmaniosis from Araçatuba, a Brazilian endemic area. Cerumen-qPCR showed the highest sensitivity (87.5%), followed by hair (lesions: 78.57%, healthy skin: 62.5%), and blood (68.75%). We also analyzed blood, hair and cerumen of 5 healthy dogs from a non-endemic area, obtaining 100% of specificity in all samples. The use of cerumen and hair for qPCR analysis provides high reliability, taking into account the sensitivity and total specificity of the method. The non-invasive sampling procedure without the need of specific conditions of storage and transport support the usefulness of hair and cerumen for the diagnosis of CanL.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30929937/