title: Identification of Leishmania spp. promastigotes in the intestines, ovaries, and salivary glands of Rhipicephalus sanguineus actively infesting dogs.
abstract: Sand flies are recognized as the major vector of canine visceral leishmaniasis. However, in some areas of Brazil where sand flies do not occur, this disease is found in humans and dogs. There has been speculation that ticks might play a role in transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis and the DNA of Leishmania spp. has been reported in whole ticks. We investigated the presence of Leishmania spp. promastigotes in the intestines, ovaries, and salivary glands of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks collected from tick-infested dogs in two cities of Brazil. We used 66 dogs that tested positive and 33 that tested negative for Leishmania spp. according to direct cytological examination assays. Ten ticks were collected from each dog and dissected to collect the intestines, ovaries, and salivary glands for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and diagnostic real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). IHC results showed Leishmania spp. in 98, 14, and 8 % of the intestines, ovaries, and salivary glands, respectively. Real-time PCR showed that 89, 41, and 33 % of the tick intestine, ovary, and salivary glands, respectively, were positive for Leishmania spp. The verification of promastigotes of Leishmania spp. by two independent techniques in ticks collected from these urban region dogs showed that there is need for clarification of the role of ticks in the transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Milena Araúz
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Viol
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Knipling-Bushland U. S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX, USA. felix.guerrero@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Felix D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno César Miranda
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Monally Conceição Costa
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Aquino
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Saulo Hudson
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Loiola
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Dias
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: de Melo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Laboratório Regional de Sorocaba, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aparecida Helena
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: de Souza Gomes
authors.affiliation: Centro de Patologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristina Takami
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Kanamura
authors.affiliation: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Valério
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreotti
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Valéria Marçal Félix
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba, UNESP, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Katia Denise Saraiva
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Bresciani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology*; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D010053:Ovary / Q000469:parasitology*; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D048508:Rhipicephalus sanguineus / Q000469:parasitology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000469:parasitology*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000662:veterinary
keywords: Canine; Immunohistochemistry; Ixodids; Leishmaniasis; Real-time PCR