Epidemiology of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Federal District - Brazil (2005-2022): Investigation of Factors Associated with Seroprevalence.

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that primarily occurs in developing countries. This disease is caused by more than 20 species of the genus Leishmania. To face this problem, Brazil's health authorities establish control of the canine reservoir through serological surveys and sacrifice of seropositive dogs. This study aimed to evaluate the serodiagnosis process and registration of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) cases by the Environmental Health Surveillance Directorate (EHSD) of Federal District, Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil. We analyzed the EHSD database from 2005 to 2022. The database contained 52,266 records, with an overall positivity of 15.78%. The results indicated a risk association between the variables sex, age, fur size, and symptomatic state with CVL seropositivity. In the binomial logistic regression model, being male, being older than 6 years, and having a short fur increased the odds of a positive diagnosis. Among the clinical signs recorded, skin lesions were the most sensitive in indicating the presence of CVL (62.4%). The factor with the highest specificity was alopecia around the eyes (83.6%). The administrative regions with an incidence of human cases were the same as those with a high seroprevalence of CVL between 2011 and 2022.