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

Autochthonous Leishmania infantum in Dogs, Zambia, 2021

David Squarre et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Leishmaniases are neglected tropical diseases of humans and animals. We detected Leishmania infantum in 3 mixed-breed dogs in Zambia that had no travel history outside the country. Our findings suggest presence of and probable emergence of leishmaniasis in Zambia, indicating the need for physicians and veterinarians to consider the disease during diagnosis.

Keywords: Leishmania infantum; Zambia; autochthonous; canine leishmaniasis; dogs; kala-azar; leishmaniasis; parasites; protozoa; public health; sand flies; vector-borne infections; zoonoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Clinical manifestations and microscopic imaging of Leishmania infantum‒infected dog, Zambia. A, B) Dog (case 1) showing dermatitis and onychogryphosis (excessive growth of nails) (A) and focal corneal opacity of the left eye (B). C) Intracellular Leishmania amastigotes (black arrows) in fine-needle lymph node aspirate from the same dog. Scale bar indicates 20 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alvar J, Vélez ID, Bern C, Herrero M, Desjeux P, Cano J, et al. ; WHO Leishmaniasis Control Team. Leishmaniasis worldwide and global estimates of its incidence. PLoS One. 2012;7:e35671. 10.1371/journal.pone.0035671 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F, Mihalca AD, Traub RJ, Lappin M, Baneth G. Zoonotic parasites of sheltered and stray dogs in the era of the global economic and political crisis. Trends Parasitol. 2017;33:813–25. 10.1016/j.pt.2017.05.013 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hira PR, Naik KG, Egere JU. Letter: Kala-azar in Zambia. Lancet. 1973;302:1026–7. 10.1016/S0140-6736(73)91117-3 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Naik KG, Hira PR, Bhagwandeen SB, Egere JU, Versey AA. Kala-azar in Zambia: first report of two cases. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70:328–32. 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90090-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Matsukawa K, Chiti L, Yoshima M, Sayer PD. Canine visceral leishmaniosis: first case in Zambia. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 1997;64:77–9. - PubMed

Publication types