Temporal distribution of positive results of tests for detecting Leishmania infection in stray dogs of an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in the Brazilian tropics: a 13 years survey and association with human disease.
Human visceral leishmaniasis occurs in periodic waves in endemic areas of Brazil. In this study we followed the prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis and of Leishmania infantum infection in stray dogs of an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis at periods of time between 1997 and 2010. Prevalence of human visceral leishmaniasis had two peaks (40 cases) in 1997 and 2006 with sharp declines to 2 cases in 2001 and to 5 cases in 2008. Similar fluctuations were also observed in the occurrence of positive spleen culture and anti-Leishmania serology in dogs, although the proportion of dogs with active spleen parasitism remained relatively high even in the periods of low prevalence of human disease. These observations support the notion that stray dogs may constitute a renewable source of parasites, capable of sustaining the persistence of the infection in urban areas, even in periods of low transmission by phlebotomines.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, Salvador 40-296-710, BA, Brazil.
Deborah B M
DB
Fraga
Manuela S
MS
Solcà
Virgínia M G
VM
Silva
Lairton S
LS
Borja
Eliane G
EG
Nascimento
Geraldo G S
GG
Oliveira
Lain C
LC
Pontes-de-Carvalho
Patrícia S T
PS
Veras
Washington L C
WL
dos-Santos
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors