Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parasite levels in intact and ulcerated skin of dogs
By Silva, Francine Maria de França et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2016·Departamento de Medicina Veteriná·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Parasite load in intact and ulcerative skin of dogs with leishmaniais.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 dogs with leishmaniasis (a disease caused by a parasite) had skin samples taken to check for parasite levels. Many of these dogs showed ulcerative skin lesions, especially on their elbows, nostrils, and ears. The tests revealed that the ulcerated skin had a significantly higher parasite load compared to intact skin. This means that both types of skin can carry the parasite, which could help spread the disease. Understanding this can help veterinarians manage and treat dogs with leishmaniasis more effectively.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · dog skin ulcers treatment · how to treat leishmania in dogs
Abstract
The skin is the site of inoculation of Leishmania spp. in susceptible hosts, and consequently dermatopathies, especially ulcerative dermatitis, are the main clinical signs observed. The aim of this study was to assess parasitism of the skin (intact and ulcerated) among dogs that were naturally infected by Leishmania spp., through immunohistochemical analysis. Skin fragments (intact and ulcerated) were collected from 13 dogs with positive parasitological (bone marrow aspiration and exfoliative skin) and serological examinations (ELISA S7 Biogene) for Leishmania spp. These samples were processed using the immunohistochemical technique, involving the streptavidin-peroxidase complex. Ulcerative lesions were mainly observed on the elbows (53.84%; 7/13), nostrils (15.38%; 2/13), ears (23.07%; 3/13) and wings of the ilium (7.69%; 1/13). A severe parasite load was detected in 46.15% and 76.92% of the intact and ulcerated skin samples tested, respectively. The parasite load on ulcerated skin was statistically higher than on intact skin (p = 0.0221). These results indicate that the intact and ulcerated skin may host a high parasite load of amastigote forms of Leishmania spp., which can favor the transmission of the parasite.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27007246/