Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leishmania infantum antibody trends in Central Italy shelter dogs
By Podaliri Vulpiani, Michele et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2009·Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, Italy·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Leishmania infantum in a Central Italy dog shelter: retrospective study of serologic reactivity during a 4-year period in a confined dog population subjected to preventive and therapeutic treatment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in a shelter in Central Italy were tested for leishmaniasis, a serious disease caused by a parasite, over four years. The dogs received preventive treatments, like spot-on medications, and therapeutic treatments, including antimonials and allopurinol. The study found that the number of dogs testing positive for the disease decreased significantly over time, showing that the treatments were effective. Only a small percentage of dogs had relapses, indicating that the combined approach of prevention and treatment worked well to control the disease in this shelter.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis treatment · how to prevent leishmaniasis in dogs · dog shelter disease prevention
Abstract
Leishmaniasis from Leishmania infantum is a parasitary zoonotic disease and a serious problem to public health. Guidelines from Italian Health Authority (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) suggest to control the zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis canine reservoir in endemic areas using an association of preventive and therapeutic tools. Moreover, in literature there are no studies about the long term effects on the disease seroprevalence and incidence in relation to this "holistic" approach. Past research has considered the effects of the alternative employment of preventive or therapeutic treatment, usually for limited periods. In this retrospective study the patterns of seroprevalence and incidence of leishmaniasis in a dog shelter sited in an endemic area of Central Italy are described throughout a 4-year period. Both preventive spot-on tools (imidacloprid/permetrin) and therapeutic protocols based on antimonials and allopurinol were administered. The results showed a progressive reduction of prevalence and incidence of serological reactivity to L. infantum, corroborating the effectiveness of the treatment administered to the animals. Significant improvements from the beginning to the end of the 4-year period were reported, considering both prevalence and incidence. A very low rate of relapses (8% in a pool of 67 subjects positive since 2004; 10.2% among all subjects enrolled in the study) was achieved.
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/19111991/