Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Visceral leishmaniasis testing in dogs and cats in northwest Iran
By Soleimani, Ali et al.·Published in Veterinary medicine and science·2022·Department of public health·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular and serological evaluation of visceral leishmaniasis in domestic dogs and cats in Maragheh County, north-west of Iran, 2018-2021.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Maragheh County, Iran, found that 3.5% of 200 dogs tested positive for antibodies related to visceral leishmaniasis, a disease caused by the Leishmania infantum parasite. The dogs, mostly male and averaging 4.3 years old, were screened over three years, and all positive cases were identified in the first year. Molecular testing confirmed the presence of the parasite in two of the seropositive dogs. No cats tested positive during the study. This suggests that dogs in this area can carry the disease, highlighting the need for increased awareness and monitoring among pet owners.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by Leishmania infantum, of which dogs are the main reservoir. VL is endemic in the Middle East, also in some parts of Iran. Following reports of new cases of VL in children in Maragheh County, the non-endemic area of the disease, we encouraged to conduct a preliminary study on domestic dogs and cats to identify their potential role as reservoirs for the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted during a period of 3 years from 2018 to 2021. Two hundred ownership dogs and 25 cats from Maragheh County, north-west of Iran, were randomly screened. Blood samples were collected. A direct agglutination test (DAT) was used for the detection of anti-L. infantum antibodies. Furthermore, buffy coat samples from the L. infantum seropositive animals were examined to detect parasite presence using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Out of the total of 200 ownership dogs evaluated, 170 (85%) were male and 30 (15%) were female with a mean age of 4.3 years. Anti-L. infantum antibodies (IgG cut-off ≥ 1:320) were observed in 3.5% of dogs (7/200) by the DAT test. All seropositive dogs were identified in the first year of examination. Regarding molecular approaches in seropositive dogs, two samples were positive for a 565 bp kDNA minicircle gene specific for L. infantum. During the study period, no seropositive case was detected in the cats examined. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the domestic cycle of L. infantum has been established in the studied region. It is necessary to increase the awareness and monitoring of the disease with the study of wild reservoirs periodically.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35622829/