title: Infectivity of seropositive dogs, showing different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, to Lutzomyia longipalpis phlebotomine sand flies.
abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a growing zoonosis with an increasing number of new cases and a rapid geographical spreading of the disease. In the present study, a canine survey was carried out in the city of Montes Claros (320,000 inhabitants), an endemic area of American visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total number of 4795 dogs were examined by serology, which showed a rate of seropositivity of 5%. Isoenzymatic analysis confirmed Leishmania infantum chagasi as the local aetiological agent of CVL. Canine tissues were assayed for the presence of Leishmania parasite DNA using different techniques. The infectivity of asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic seropositive dogs was tested by xenodiagnosis using laboratory reared Lutzomyia longipalpis. Rates of infection of 5.4%, 5.1% and 28.4% were found for the phlebotomine sand flies that fed in asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic dogs, respectively. Our results indicate that, under experimental conditions, symptomatic dogs are about four times more infective to VL vectors than oligosymptomatic or asymptomatic animals. The lower infectivity rates of dogs displaying any of the last two clinical forms of leishmaniasis, however, must be taken into account in the epidemiology of CVL.
authors: Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou/FIOCRUZ, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Barro Preto, Belo Horizonte, CEP 30190-002, MG, Brazil.
authors: Erika Monteiro
authors: EM
authors: Michalsky
authors: Marília Fonseca
authors: MF
authors: Rocha
authors: Ana Cristina Vianna Mariano
authors: AC
authors: da Rocha Lima
authors: João Carlos
authors: JC
authors: França-Silva
authors: Marize Quinhone
authors: MQ
authors: Pires
authors: Fernanda Santos
authors: FS
authors: Oliveira
authors: Raquel Silva
authors: RS
authors: Pacheco
authors: Sara Lopes
authors: SL
authors: dos Santos
authors: Ricardo Andrade
authors: RA
authors: Barata
authors: Alvaro José
authors: AJ
authors: Romanha
authors: Consuelo Latorre
authors: CL
authors: Fortes-Dias
authors: Edelberto Santos
authors: ES
authors: Dias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D004285:Dogs; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes