Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog imported to French Guiana dies from visceral leishmaniasis
By Saout, Mona et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2024·Laboratoire Tropical Biome and ImmunoPathophysiology (TBIP), France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fatal case of imported visceral leishmaniasis in a dog caused by Leishmania infantum in French Guiana.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old pug imported from Brazil was brought to the vet in French Guiana for a sore on its muzzle, which initially healed. However, a month later, the dog developed severe ulcers in its mouth, on its legs, and around its eyes, leading the veterinarian to suspect a serious infection called visceral leishmaniasis. Unfortunately, while the dog was hospitalized for testing, it suddenly passed away before the results confirmed the presence of the parasite Leishmania infantum. This case highlights the importance of monitoring for rare diseases in areas where they are not typically found.
People also search for: pug mouth ulcers · dog leishmaniasis symptoms · imported dog disease risks
Abstract
Here we described a case of fatal canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in French Guiana, a non-endemic VL Amazonian area. The dog was a 2-year-old pug imported from Brazil to French Guiana. Initially seen for a pruriginous lesion on the muzzle which healed after treatment, the dog was in a deteriorated condition and had sublingual, foreleg and eye ulcers, one month later. A visceral leishmaniasis was suspected by the veterinarian. The dog was hospitalized awaiting results, which revealed the presence of L. infantum. However, the dog succumbed suddenly before the results were returned. Few imported and scarce autochthonous canine VL cases have been previously reported in French Guiana, raising the need for local epidemiological surveillance, considering the possibility of unusual transmission routes of the parasite.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39326963/