[Dog (Canis familiaris) infectivity to Lutzomyia youngi in Trujillo, Venezuela].
BACKGROUND
In Trujillo, Venezuela the prevalence for American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) is 38 per 100,000 inhabitants.


OBJECTIVE
In a periurban, rural settlement of the capital city Trujillo, we studied the potential capability of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) as a source of infection for Lutzomyia youngi, a phlebotomine sand fly species abundant in the study area and whose domestic vectorial activity has been proven.


METHODS
Dogs with dermal lesions suggestive of ATL and parasitological confirmation of infection, were selected for xenodiagnosis by allowing sylvatic phlebotomines from a ATL free area, to feed ad libitum over each animal's entire body surface. The insects' intestinal tracts were dissected 5 days after the blood meal in order to look for flagellate forms. When these were found, parasitological identification was performed by the multiplex-PCR technique.


RESULTS
Four hundred and fifty five sand flies engorged over two dogs in three different assays; promastigotes were found in 4 (0.88%) of the specimens on only one occasion. PCR identified DNA of the Leishmania Viannia subgenus.


CONCLUSIONS
The household dog has the potential of being a domestic risk factor in the ATL transmission cycle.
Hernández
Dalila
D
Instituto Experimental "José Witremundo Torrealba", Núcleo Universitario Rafael Rangel, Universidad de Los Andes, Trujillo, Venezuela. dalilahr@latinmail.com
Rojas
Elina
E
Scorza
José Vicente
JV
Jorquera
Alicia
A
D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D004285:Dogs / Q000469:parasitology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D014687:Venezuela