Transmissibility of Leishmania infantum from maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) to Lutzomyia longipalpis.
Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is the cause of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. The disease is transmitted mostly through the bite of the invertebrate vector, the phlebotomine Lutzomyia longipalpis in the New World. Although the domestic dog is considered the most important reservoir of the disease, other mammalian, including wildlife, are susceptible to infection. The goal of this study was to perform xenodiagnosis to evaluate the capacity of naturally infected maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) to transmit Leishmania infantum to female sand flies (L. longipalpis). Xenodiagnoses were performed in February and August, 2013, when 77.7% (three maned wolves and four bush dogs) or 100% of the animals were positive, respectively. However, parasite loads in the engorged sand flies was low (<200 promastigotes and <150.2 parasites/μg of DNA). No statistically significant differences were observed between the two species or the two time points (February and August). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that maned wolves (C. brachyurus) and bush dogs (S. venaticus) asymptomatically infected with L. infantum are capable of transmitting L. infantum to the invertebrate host L. longipalpis, although the parasite loads in engorged phlebotomines exposed to these animals were very low.
Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Juliana P S
JP
Mol
Departamento de Jardim Zoológico da Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Semíramis A
SA
Soave
Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Andréia P
AP
Turchetti
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Guilherme R G
GR
Pinheiro
Departamento de Jardim Zoológico da Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Angela T
AT
Pessanha
Departamento de Jardim Zoológico da Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Marcelo C C
MC
Malta
Departamento de Jardim Zoológico da Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Herlandes P
HP
Tinoco
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Luiza A
LA
Figueiredo
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Nelder F
NF
Gontijo
Departamento de Patologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Tatiane A
TA
Paixão
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Ricardo T
RT
Fujiwara
Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: rsantos@vet.ufmg.br.
Renato L
RL
Santos
D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D046028:Canidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000502:physiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology*
Leishmania infantum; Leishmaniasis; Lutzomyia longipalpis; Transmission; Wildlife; Xenodiagnosis