Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High rate of Leishmania infection in dogs from Central West Colombia
By Giraldo-Martínez, Leidy Alejandra et al.·Published in Veterinaria italiana·2022·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High prevalence of Leishmania spp. in dogs from Central West Colombia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 173 dogs from rural Ibagué, Colombia, was tested for Leishmania, a parasite that can cause serious health issues. An alarming 91% of these dogs were found to be infected, with about 37% showing symptoms like skin lesions or weight loss, while the rest appeared healthy. The study highlighted that dogs are key carriers of this disease, which is common in certain areas of Colombia. The testing method used was very effective in detecting the parasite. Pet owners in these regions should be aware of the risks and consider regular check-ups for their dogs.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · how to treat leishmania in dogs · dog skin lesions Colombia
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a widespread disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania. In Colombia, this zoonosis is endemic in rural areas with a high prevalence in the departments of Antioquia, Santander, Meta, Tolima and Nariño. Dogs are the most important domestic reservoirs of the pathogen, given the epidemiological importance of dogs in the control of leishmaniasis is needed to determine the prevalence of Leishmania spp. in canine population of the rural area of Ibagué and to identify potential risk factors related to the presence of this parasite. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 173 dogs from the rural area of Ibagué. Leishmania spp. was detected by amplifying the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS-1) and two regions of the hsp70 gene through PCR. Factor associations were calculated through the Chisquare and odds ratio. Prevalence of Leishmania spp. infection in dogs was of 91.33% (158/173), where 36.71% (58/158) of the Leishmania spp. positive dogs showed one or more clinical signs of canine leishmaniasis and 63.29% (100/158) of the dogs were asymptomatic. Factors associated with the presence of the parasite did not show significance. In addition, hsp70D-PCR was proved to be highly efficient for the detection of Leishmania spp.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37303138/