Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rise in canine leishmaniasis in Algiers dogs after 2003 quake
By Ait-Oudhia, K et al.·Published in Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology·2009·Ecole Nationale Supé·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Increase in the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis in urban Algiers (Algeria) following the 2003 earthquake.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 25% of dogs in urban Algiers tested positive for leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sandflies. Many of these dogs showed no symptoms, but some had issues like weight loss, skin lesions, and swollen lymph nodes. The highest rates of infection were in certain neighborhoods, particularly in the western part of the city. The research also indicated that older dogs and those living outside or in areas with dense vegetation were more likely to be infected. This highlights the importance of monitoring dogs for signs of leishmaniasis, especially in urban areas where the disease is becoming more common.
People also search for: dog weight loss skin lesions · leishmaniasis in dogs symptoms · how to prevent leishmaniasis in dogs
Abstract
Between 2005 and 2008, a serological survey for leishmanial infection was conducted among dogs from urban and peri-urban Algiers, with the focus on the new, densely populated areas that were built after the 2003 earthquake. Serum samples were collected from 1810 animals and tested for the presence of leishmanial antibodies by IFAT, ELISA and western blotting. The overall seroprevalence recorded was 25.1%. Of the seropositive dogs, 58.8% showed no clinical signs of the disease, 25.8% had a few, minor signs and the remaining 15.4% showed more severe illness. The major clinical signs of infection were weight loss, skin lesions and lymphadenopathy. Although seropositive dogs were found in all of the boroughs (daïras) of Algiers, seroprevalences were highest in the western part of the city (i.e. in the boroughs of Bouzaréah, Chéraga and Zéralda), ranging from 23.0% to 44.5%. Statistical analysis showed a relationship between seropositivity for leishmanial infection and the dog's age and lifestyle (i.e. whether the dog lived outside and/or in areas with dense vegetation). Only two zymodemes were identified amongst the 50 isolates investigated: MON-1 (88%) and MON-281 (12%). The latter zymodeme has not been previously found in Algeria, sandflies or dogs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20030992/