title: Autochthonous canine leishmaniasis in Romania: neglected or (re)emerging?
abstract: Canine leishmaniasis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum. In Romania between 1955 and 2013, no cases of human autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis were reported. Data regarding canine leishmaniasis is similarly scarce. Since the first report of clinical autochthonous canine leishmaniasis in 1935, there were only three sporadic reports of positive dogs all without any clinical signs. Our study reports the first clinical case of autochthonous canine leishmaniasis in the last 80 years, stressing the importance of a targeted surveillance of Leishmania infection, as infected dogs act as the primary reservoir for zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis.
authors.forename: Viorica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mircean
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Cluj, Romania. mirabela.dumitrache@usamvcluj.ro.
authors.forename: Mirabela Oana
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Dumitrache
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mircean
authors.forename: Pompei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bolfa
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Györke
authors.forename: Andrei Daniel
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mihalca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology