Visceral leishmaniasis in captive wild canids in Brazil.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in Belo Horizonte (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil). Leishmania sp. can naturally infect several species of mammals, and the domestic dog is the most important reservoir of the disease in South America. This report describes five cases of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazilian canids. Among 15 animals kept in captivity in a zoo in Belo Horizonte (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil), two animals, a bush dog (Spheotos venaticos) and a hoary zorro (Lycalopex vetulus) were serologically positive and developed clinical signs of VL, whereas three other canids, including a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and a hoary zorro (Lycalopex vetulus) had positive serological results without clinical signs.
Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Av. Otacílio Negrão de Lima 8000, 31365-450 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Marcela M
MM
Luppi
Marcelo C C
MC
Malta
Teane M A
TM
Silva
Fabiana L
FL
Silva
Rafael O C
RO
Motta
Ildikó
I
Miranda
Roselene
R
Ecco
Renato L
RL
Santos
D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001938:Brazil; D046028:Canidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology