Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Safety of spleen aspiration to diagnose leishmaniasis in dogs
By Barrouin-Melo, Stella Maria et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2006·Centro de Pesquisas Gonç, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Can spleen aspirations be safely used for the parasitological diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniosis? A study on assymptomatic and polysymptomatic animals.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil were tested for a serious disease called canine visceral leishmaniosis, which is caused by a parasite. The researchers used a method called spleen aspiration to collect samples and check for the parasite. Out of 209 dogs, most tested positive for the disease, and the procedure was found to be safe, with only a few minor issues reported. This method helped confirm the diagnosis in a high percentage of the dogs without causing any significant harm.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of spleen aspiration as a sampling technique for the parasitological detection by culture and microscopy of Leishmania (chagasi) infantum. Two hundred and nine domiciled dogs from an endemic area for visceral leishmaniasis in Bahia State, Brazil, were studied. Most dogs (87%) were seropositive for anti-L. chagasi antibodies by ELISA. Clinical signs of disease were recorded and the animals monitored during and after spleen puncture in order to detect possible complications associated with the procedure. From a total of 257 splenic punctures in the 209 animals, only three minor events occurred, with no significant consequence for the animals and no association with risk factors. Leishmania was isolated from 149/180 (83%) seropositive dogs, and from 6/26 (23%) seronegative animals. The procedure did not cause adverse side effects or unnecessary suffering and confirmed the diagnosis in a large percentage of dogs. We conclude that spleen aspiration can be considered an effective and safe procedure for the definitive diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16490717/