Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Feb;39(2):560-3.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.39.2.560-563.2001.

Prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs living in an area of canine leishmaniasis endemicity using PCR on several tissues and serology

L Solano-Gallego  1 , P Morell, M Arboix, J Alberola, L Ferrer
Affiliations

Prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs living in an area of canine leishmaniasis endemicity using PCR on several tissues and serology

L Solano-Gallego et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2001 Feb.

Abstract

We studied and compared the prevalence of Leishmania infection and the seroprevalence and the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis in an area where canine leishmaniasis is endemic. One hundred dogs living on the island of Mallorca (Spain) were studied. In this study, we clinically examined each dog for the presence of symptoms compatible with leishmaniasis, determined the titer of anti-Leishmania antibodies, and investigated the presence of Leishmania DNA by PCR in skin, conjunctiva, and bone marrow samples of each dog. The prevalence of the disease and the seroprevalence were 13 and 26%, respectively. In 63% of the dogs, Leishmania DNA could be detected by PCR in at least one of the tissues studied. The results of positive PCR in the bone marrow, the conjunctiva, and the skin were 17.8, 32, and 51%, respectively. The prevalence of the infection, 67%, was calculated using all animals that were seropositive and/or positive by PCR with any tissue. The results showed that the majority of dogs living in an area where canine leishmaniasis is endemic are infected by Leishmania and that the prevalence of infection is much greater than the prevalence of overt Leishmania-related disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ashford D A, Bozza M, Freire M, Miranda J C, Sherlock I, Eulalio C, Lopes U, Fernandes O, Degrave W, Barker R H, Jr, Badaro R, David J R. Comparison of the polymerase chain reaction and serology for the detection of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1995;53:251–255. - PubMed
    1. Ashford D A, David J R, Freire M, David R, Sherlock I, Eulalio M C, Sampaio D P, Badaro R. Studies on control of visceral leishmaniasis: impact of dog control on canine and human visceral leishmaniasis in Jacobina, Bahia, Brazil. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1998;59:53–57. - PubMed
    1. Berrahal F, Mary C, Roze M, Berenger A, Escoffier K, Lamoroux D, Dunan S. Canine leishmaniasis: identification of asymptomatic carriers by polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1996;55:273–277. - PubMed
    1. Cabral M, O'Grady J E, Gomes S, Sousa J C, Thompson H, Alexander J. The immunology of canine leishmaniosis: strong evidence for a developing disease spectrum from asymptomatic dogs. Vet Parasitol. 1998;76:173–180. - PubMed
    1. Ciaramella P, Oliva G, Luna R D, Gradoni L, Ambrosio R, Cortese L, Scalone A, Persechino A. A retrospective clinical study of canine leishmaniasis in 150 dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum. Vet Rec. 1997;141:539–543. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources