Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leishmaniosis exposure in asymptomatic dogs in Kosovo
By Xhekaj, Betim et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2023·Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of canine leishmaniosis in asymptomatic dogs in Kosovo.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 4% of healthy dogs in Kosovo tested positive for canine leishmaniosis, a disease caused by a parasite that can affect both dogs and humans. Blood samples from 285 dogs showed that the highest rates of infection were in the Prishtina region, where 8% of dogs were positive. Interestingly, these dogs showed no symptoms, meaning they appeared healthy despite being infected. This highlights the importance of testing even asymptomatic dogs for this disease, as they can still spread it.
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Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania spp. Leishmania infantum is the species responsible for the zoonotic form of the disease where dogs are reservoir hosts. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of CanL in asymptomatic dogs in Kosovo. Blood samples were collected from 285 dogs in all seven regions in Kosovo (35-50 samples per region) from summer 2021 to spring 2022. Sera were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the presence of anti-Leishmania IgG was confirmed by an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The true overall seroprevalence of CanL of asymptomatic dogs in Kosovo with ELISA was 4.21% (95% CI: 2.42-7.21) while with IFAT was 3.51% (95% CI: 1.92-6.34). The highest rates were found in the Prishtina region to be 8.0% (4/50) by ELISA and 6.0% (3/50) by IFAT, and in the Mitrovica region, the prevalence was 0% (0/40). There were no significant differences among the different regions, gender, age, health status, and breed. These findings highlight the presence of CanL in most regions of Kosovo and underline the veterinary relevance of clinically asymptomatic dogs infected with Leishmania.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36536229/