Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Venereal and puppy transmission of leishmaniosis in German boxer dogs
By Naucke, Torsten J & Lorentz, Susanne·Published in Parasites & vectors·2012·Parasitus Ex e.V., Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: First report of venereal and vertical transmission of canine leishmaniosis from naturally infected dogs in Germany.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A female boxer dog from Düsseldorf, Germany, tested positive for canine leishmaniosis, a disease caused by a parasite that is usually spread by sandflies. This dog had never traveled to areas where the disease is common, raising concerns about how she got infected. Notably, one of her puppies from a recent litter also showed signs of the infection. This case suggests that the disease may have been passed from the mother to her puppy, indicating that leishmaniosis can spread in ways other than through sandfly bites.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania (L.) infantum. It is endemic to several tropical and subtropical countries but also to the Mediterranean region. It is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies but occasional non-vector transmissions have been reported, including vertical and horizontal transmission. FINDINGS: The authors report a case of CanL in a female boxer dog from Dusseldorf, Germany, that had never been in an endemic region. A serum sample from the bitch was tested positive for antibodies against Leishmania (IFAT 1:2,000, ELISA 72). The bitch had whelped three litters, and one puppy from the third litter was also found to be seropositive for Leishmania antibodies (IFAT 1:4,000, ELISA 78). CONCLUSIONS: Up to now, despite intensive searching, the occurrence of sandflies could not be proved in the bitch's region of origin. Thus, vertical and horizontal transmission are to be discussed as possible ways of infection. This may be the first report of venereal and vertical transmission of L. infantum in naturally infected dogs in Germany.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22463789/