Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How leishmaniasis infection develops in beagle dogs over 3 years
By Oliva, Gaetano et al.·Published in Journal of clinical microbiology·2006·MIPI Department, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Incidence and time course of Leishmania infantum infections examined by parasitological, serologic, and nested-PCR techniques in a cohort of naive dogs exposed to three consecutive transmission seasons.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 43 beagle dogs was studied over 32 months to see how they reacted to Leishmania infantum infections, which can cause serious health issues. The dogs were tested using various methods, including blood tests and bone marrow samples, to detect the infection. Many dogs showed signs of infection, with some remaining asymptomatic for a long time before developing symptoms. About 68% of those that tested positive eventually became sick, typically within 7 months. This study highlights the importance of regular testing for dogs in areas where Leishmania is common, as early detection can help manage the disease.
People also search for: beagle leishmaniasis symptoms · dog blood test for Leishmania · treating Leishmania in dogs
Abstract
Most experience in the comparison of diagnostic tools for canine leishmaniasis comes from cross-sectional surveys of dogs of different ages and breeds and in cases with unknown onset and duration of leishmaniasis. A longitudinal study was performed on 43 beagle dogs exposed to three transmission seasons (2002 to 2004) of Mediterranean leishmaniasis and examined periodically over 32 months through bone marrow microscopy and nested PCR (n-PCR), lymph node culture, serology (immunofluorescent-antibody test), and evaluation of clinical parameters. Starting from January 2003, the highest rate of positives was detected by n-PCR at all assessments (from 23.3% to 97.3%). Sensitivities of serologic and parasitological techniques were lower but increased with time, from 15.8% to 75.0 to 77.8%. Some dogs that tested positive by n-PCR but negative by other tests ("subpatent infection") remained so until the end of the study or converted to negative in subsequent assessments, whereas all dogs with positive serology and/or microscopy/culture ("asymptomatic patent infection") exhibited progressive leishmaniasis; 68% of them developed clinical disease ("symptomatic patent infection") during the study, at 7 (range, 3 to 14) months after being positive to all tests. Postexposure infection incidences were high and were significantly different between 2002 and 2003 exposures (39.5% and 91.7%, respectively). The time course of infection was highly variable in each dog, with three patterns being identified: (i) rapid establishment of a patent condition (0 to 2 months from detection of infection); (ii) a prolonged subpatent condition (4 to 22 months) before progression; and (iii) a transient subpatent condition followed by 10 to 21 months of apparent Leishmania-negative status before progression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16597857/