Canine Leishmaniasis: An Overview of the Current Status and Strategies for Control

Abstract

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania infantum and is transmitted by female phlebotomine sand flies primarily between animals and secondarily to humans. The course of infection may be different from one individual dog to another, ranging from spontaneous cure to acute evolution that leads to death, if proper management and therapy are not adopted. A parasitological cure is rarely achieved and clinical recurrences in CanL are frequent. Vaccination associated with the use of topical insecticides is undoubtedly the most effective form of prevention and control of the disease. In order to integrate the most important scientific knowledge of the literature in one objective publication, this review proposes a short overview of the main points of CanL.

Figure 1

Clinical manifestations of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum: (a) asymptomatic dog (apparently healthy but infected); (b) generalized nonpruritic alopecia and multiple other dermatological abnormalities; (c) popliteal lymphadenomegaly; (d) bilateral blepharitis and extensive muzzle involvement with marked exfoliative ulcerative lesions; (e) ulcerative lesions at the bony prominences of the hind limb leg; (f) onychogryphosis. Photos by Raul Rio Ribeiro and Cristiano Cheim Peixoto dos Santos.