Visceral leishmaniasis infection and blood changes in stray dogs

Abstract

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is responsible for mortality, especially among children in developing countries. Stray dogs are a reservoir for VL infections, and asymptomatic infected dogs can act as a source of human infection. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of VL in stray dogs from the Kermanshah area and to evaluate the clinical and hematological alterations in dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum. Methods: Ninety-two stray dogs aged 1-8 years were sampled. Serum samples were evaluated for anti-L. infantum antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All positive samples were titrated using the direct agglutination test (DAT). Results: Eleven dogs (11.95%) were infected with L. infantum. Only four (36.36%) showed clinical signs among the seropositive dogs. Three infected patients had anemia, while two had hemoconcentration. According to the blood count, most alterations were observed in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), band neutrophils, and lymphocytes. Conclusion: The high frequency of asymptomatic dogs indicates that these reservoirs must be considered the principal source of VL infection in this area. Frequent surveillance and monitoring of canine VL (CVL) is critical to decrease the disease incidence in humans, especially in stray dogs.