Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Better blood tests for dog Leishmania infection in different parts
By Laura Ramírez et al.·Published in Parasite Epidemiology and Control·2020·Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO), Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, CSIC-UAM, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain, GB·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Improving the serodiagnosis of canine Leishmania infantum infection in geographical areas of Brazil with different disease prevalence
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs in Brazil infected with Leishmania (a parasite that causes leishmaniasis) showed different levels of antibodies depending on where they lived. Researchers tested blood samples from infected dogs and discovered that certain proteins could improve the accuracy of tests for this disease. The proteins KMP-11, P2a, and P0 were particularly effective in identifying both sick and healthy dogs that were infected but not showing symptoms. This means that using these specific proteins in tests can help veterinarians diagnose leishmaniasis more reliably, especially in areas where the disease is becoming more common.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · how to test for Leishmania in dogs · treatment for dog leishmaniasis
Abstract
Serodiagnosis of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs relies on the detection of antibodies against leishmanial crude extracts or parasitic defined antigens. The expansion of canine leishmaniasis from geographical areas of Brazil in which the infection is endemic to regions in which the disease is emerging is occurring. This fact makes necessary the analysis of the serodiagnostic capabilities of different leishmanial preparations in distinct geographical locations. In this article sera from dogs infected with Leishmania and showing the clinical form of the disease, were collected in three distinct Brazilian States and were tested against soluble leishmanial antigens or seven parasite individual antigens produced as recombinant proteins. We show that the recognition of soluble leishmanial antigens by sera from these animals was influenced by the geographical location of the infected dogs. Efficacy of the diagnosis based on this crude parasite preparation was higher in newly endemic regions when compared with areas of high disease endemicity. We also show that the use of three of the recombinant proteins, namely parasite surface kinetoplastid membrane protein of 11 kDa (KMP-11), and two members of the P protein family (P2a and P0), can improve the degree of sensitivity without adversely affecting the specificity of the diagnostic assays for canine leishmaniasis, independently of the geographical area of residence. In addition, sera from dogs clinically healthy but infected were also assayed with some of the antigen preparations. We demonstrate that the use of these proteins can help to the serodiagnosis of Leishmania infected animals with subclinical infections. Finally, we propose a diagnostic protocol using a combination of KMP-11, P2a y P0, together with total leishmanial extracts. Keywords: Leishmania, Canine leishmaniasis, Serodiagnosis, Antibodies, Recombinant proteins
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2019.e00126