Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leishmania parasites found in blood cells of a sick dog
By Oliveira, Gilsan Aparecida de et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2021·Laborató·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of Leishmania infantum amastigotes in neutrophil from peripheral blood in a naturally infected dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) showed multiple symptoms and was found to have a rare form of the parasite in its blood. The dog underwent several tests, including a rapid test and blood examination, all confirming the CVL diagnosis. It was treated with miltefosine, a medication specifically for this disease. After treatment, the dog showed no signs of the parasite in its blood and improved in overall health.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis treatment · symptoms of canine visceral leishmaniasis · miltefosine for dogs · dog blood parasite detection
Abstract
Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is a zoonotic disease of high lethality caused by Leishmania infantum in the Americas. In the infected dog, the amastigotes are scarce in blood, especially in the late phase of the disease. This study aimed to report a rare case of L. infantum amastigotes found in neutrophils from peripheral blood of a naturally infected dog in terminal phase of CVL, also describing its clinical status before and after treatment with miltefosine 2%. The dog, which presented as polysymptomatic and with classical signs and symptoms of CVL was submitted to the following tests: Dual Path Platform (DPP) rapid test, ELISA and parasitological examination of peripheral blood. Hematological and biochemical parameters were obtained before and after treatment. All diagnostic tests were positive for CVL. The identification of L. infantum amastigotes inside neutrophils from peripheral blood was confirmed through microscopy, and the species was confirmed by molecular analysis. At the end of the treatment, peripheral parasitemia was not detected, and improvements were observed in clinical and laboratorial parameters. Finally, this atypical finding can be used as example to raise discussions about the real immunological role of neutrophils in late phases of CVL and its clinical/therapeutic implications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34259738/