Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First local non-vector spread of canine leishmaniosis in Nordic dogs
By Karkamo, Veera et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2014·Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The first report of autochthonous non-vector-borne transmission of canine leishmaniosis in the Nordic countries.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two boxers in Finland were diagnosed with leishmaniosis, a serious disease caused by a parasite, even though they had never traveled to areas where the disease is common. They had not received blood transfusions or been exposed to parasites, suggesting they were infected by another dog that had traveled to Spain. Unfortunately, two of the infected dogs became very ill and had to be euthanized, while a third dog tested positive for the parasite but showed no symptoms. This case highlights the risk of imported infected dogs spreading the disease to local pets, even without the usual insect carriers.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis symptoms · boxer dog disease transmission · leishmania treatment for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Leishmania spp. are zoonotic protozoans that infect humans and other mammals such as dogs. The most significant causative species in dogs is L. infantum. In dogs, leishmaniosis is a potentially progressive, chronic disease with varying clinical outcomes. Autochthonous cases of canine leishmaniosis have not previously been reported in the Nordic countries. RESULTS: In this report we describe the first diagnosed autochthonous cases of canine leishmaniosis in Finland, in which transmission via a suitable arthropod vector was absent. Two Finnish boxers that had never been in endemic areas of Leishmania spp., had never received blood transfusions, nor were infested by ectoparasites were diagnosed with leishmaniosis. Another dog was found with elevated Leishmania antibodies. A fourth boxer dog that had been in Spain was considered to be the source of these infections. Transmission occurred through biting wounds and semen, however, transplacental infection in one of the dogs could not be ruled out. Two of the infected dogs developed a serious disease and were euthanized and sent for necropsy. The first one suffered from membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and the second one had a chronic systemic disease. Leishmania sp. was detected from tissues by PCR and/or IHC in both dogs. The third infected dog was serologically positive for Leishmania sp. but remained free of clinical signs. CONCLUSIONS: This case report shows that imported Leishmania-infected dogs may pose a risk for domestic dogs, even without suitable local arthropod vectors.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25492266/