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
. 2026 Feb 18.
doi: 10.1111/vde.70056. Online ahead of print.

Evaluation of the Cutaneous Immunological Milieu Before and After Treatment With Meglumine Antimoniate in Dogs Naturally Affected by Leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum

M Platenik  1 , A Di Loria  2 , L Archer  1 , M Saridomichelakis  3 , A S Benvenuto  4 , D Santoro  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the Cutaneous Immunological Milieu Before and After Treatment With Meglumine Antimoniate in Dogs Naturally Affected by Leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum

M Platenik et al. Vet Dermatol. .

Abstract

Background: Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease of variable severity. The typical immune response is driven by an exaggerated humoral immune response. Protective immunity is mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines that enhance macrophage leishmanicidal activity.

Objective: To evaluate the cutaneous and the systemic immune responses as well as the cutaneous parasitic load in affected dogs before and after 28 days of treatment with meglumine antimoniate.

Animals: Twelve dogs with CanL and skin lesions, treated with meglumine antimoniate at a target dose of 100 mg/kg subcutaneously every 24 h, were prospectively enrolled.

Methods and materials: Before and after 28 days of treatments, blood samples and skin biopsies were collected. Circulating levels of host defence peptides, leptin and cytokines were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Paraffin-embedded skin biopsies were processed for routine immunofluorescence and positive cells were identified using commercially available anti-canine antibodies. Parasitic load also was determined via molecular methods. All variables were statistically analysed with the significance level set at 0.05.

Results: Among the cutaneous cell types investigated, there was a decrease in the number of T-box transcription factor TBX21 (Tbet+) (p = 0.016), GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3+) (p = 0.016), interleukin (IL)-17A+ (p = 0.03) cells and neutrophils (p = 0.008) after treatment, whereas there were no significant changes in forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3+) regulatory T and ionised calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1+) cells. A lack of change in serum concentration of inflammatory mediators was found. Finally, cutaneous parasitic load was significantly lower after treatment (p = 0.03).

Conclusions and clinical relevance: The results of this study show that the reduction of cutaneous parasitic load after meglumine antimoniate treatment results in downregulation of innate and adaptive cutaneous inflammatory responses.

Keywords: canine; cutaneous; immune responses; leishmaniosis; meglumine antimoniate.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. M. N. Saridomichelakis and A. F. Koutinas, “Cutaneous Involvement in Canine Leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum (Syn. L. chagasi),” Veterinary Dermatology 25 (2014): 61–71.
    1. L. Solano‐Gallego, A. Koutinas, G. Miró, et al., “Directions for the Diagnosis, Clinical Staging, Treatment and Prevention of Canine Leishmaniosis,” Veterinary Parasitology 165 (2009): 1–18.
    1. B. Spellberg and J. E. Edwards, “Type 1/Type 2 Immunity in Infectious Diseases,” Clinical Infectious Diseases 32 (2001): 76–102.
    1. A. J. Toepp, R. G. Schaut, B. D. Scott, D. Mathur, A. J. Berens, and C. A. Petersen, “Leishmania Incidence and Prevalence in U.S. Hunting Hounds Maintained via Vertical Transmission,” Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports 10 (2017): 75–81.
    1. J. M. de Oliveira Cardoso, R. C. F. de Brito, A. F. P. Costa, et al., “IL‐10 Receptor Blockade Controls the In Vitro Infectivity of Leishmania infantum and Promotes a Th1 Activation in PBMC of Dogs With Visceral Leishmaniasis,” Molecular Immunology 137 (2021): 20–27.

LinkOut - more resources