A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment
Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most important parasitic diseases in the world. The domestic dog is the main reservoir of zoonotic VL and a high prevalence of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is associated with transmission of infection to humans. Here we describe the methodology us...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.642287/full |
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| author | Lucy A. Parker Lucy A. Parker Lucrecia Acosta Mariana Noel Gutierrez Israel Cruz Javier Nieto Enrique Jorge Deschutter Fernando Jorge Bornay-Llinares |
| author_facet | Lucy A. Parker Lucy A. Parker Lucrecia Acosta Mariana Noel Gutierrez Israel Cruz Javier Nieto Enrique Jorge Deschutter Fernando Jorge Bornay-Llinares |
| author_sort | Lucy A. Parker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most important parasitic diseases in the world. The domestic dog is the main reservoir of zoonotic VL and a high prevalence of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is associated with transmission of infection to humans. Here we describe the methodology used to obtain a rapid and representative sample of domestic dogs in the city of Posadas, Misiones, and compare the prevalence of Leishmania infection with a sample of shelter dogs.Methodology: We used the city land registry to make a random selection of homes and systematically recruited 349 domestic dogs from the selected properties. We also included all dogs from the main canine shelter within the city. Dogs were examined by two experienced veterinarians who recorded the presence of clinical signs common in CanL using a standardized protocol. We extracted a blood sample from each dog and performed four different serological tests to reveal the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies.Results: After clinical examination, 145 domestic dogs (41.5%) and 63 (90%) shelter dogs had clinical signs compatible with CanL (p < 0.001). The seroprevalence among domestic dogs was 20.1% (95% CI 16.1–24.6) which was significantly lower than among the abandoned dogs (38.6%, 95% CI 27.7–50.6, p < 0.001). The spatial distribution of infected dogs was fairly homogenous throughout the city. Among domestic dogs, we observed a positive association between where the dog slept and presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies (p = 0.034). Of the seropositive domestic dogs 38 (54.4%) were asymptomatic.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate how seroprevalence results can be highly influenced by sampling methodology. We demonstrate how the land registry can be used to estimate the prevalence of CanL in representative sample of domestic dogs in an urban setting, allowing decision makers to deepen their understanding the epidemiology of CanL in a timely and efficient manner for the development of plans to address both human and canine disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:36:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1df78af32ce84ed5950e74d949aa94d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:36:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-1df78af32ce84ed5950e74d949aa94d62022-12-21T20:32:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692021-03-01810.3389/fvets.2021.642287642287A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban EnvironmentLucy A. Parker0Lucy A. Parker1Lucrecia Acosta2Mariana Noel Gutierrez3Israel Cruz4Javier Nieto5Enrique Jorge Deschutter6Fernando Jorge Bornay-Llinares7Departamento de Salud Pública y Ginecología, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Alicante, SpainCIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, SpainÁrea de Parasitología, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Alicante, SpainVeterinary Centre “Dame la Pata”, Posadas, ArgentinaNational School of Public Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, SpainWHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, Servicio de Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, SpainFacultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Posadas, ArgentinaÁrea de Parasitología, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Alicante, SpainBackground: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most important parasitic diseases in the world. The domestic dog is the main reservoir of zoonotic VL and a high prevalence of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is associated with transmission of infection to humans. Here we describe the methodology used to obtain a rapid and representative sample of domestic dogs in the city of Posadas, Misiones, and compare the prevalence of Leishmania infection with a sample of shelter dogs.Methodology: We used the city land registry to make a random selection of homes and systematically recruited 349 domestic dogs from the selected properties. We also included all dogs from the main canine shelter within the city. Dogs were examined by two experienced veterinarians who recorded the presence of clinical signs common in CanL using a standardized protocol. We extracted a blood sample from each dog and performed four different serological tests to reveal the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies.Results: After clinical examination, 145 domestic dogs (41.5%) and 63 (90%) shelter dogs had clinical signs compatible with CanL (p < 0.001). The seroprevalence among domestic dogs was 20.1% (95% CI 16.1–24.6) which was significantly lower than among the abandoned dogs (38.6%, 95% CI 27.7–50.6, p < 0.001). The spatial distribution of infected dogs was fairly homogenous throughout the city. Among domestic dogs, we observed a positive association between where the dog slept and presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies (p = 0.034). Of the seropositive domestic dogs 38 (54.4%) were asymptomatic.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate how seroprevalence results can be highly influenced by sampling methodology. We demonstrate how the land registry can be used to estimate the prevalence of CanL in representative sample of domestic dogs in an urban setting, allowing decision makers to deepen their understanding the epidemiology of CanL in a timely and efficient manner for the development of plans to address both human and canine disease.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.642287/fullvisceral leishmaniasiscanine leishmaniasissamplingepidemiologycanine population |
| spellingShingle | Lucy A. Parker Lucy A. Parker Lucrecia Acosta Mariana Noel Gutierrez Israel Cruz Javier Nieto Enrique Jorge Deschutter Fernando Jorge Bornay-Llinares A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment Frontiers in Veterinary Science visceral leishmaniasis canine leishmaniasis sampling epidemiology canine population |
| title | A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment |
| title_full | A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment |
| title_fullStr | A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment |
| title_short | A Novel Sampling Model to Study the Epidemiology of Canine Leishmaniasis in an Urban Environment |
| title_sort | novel sampling model to study the epidemiology of canine leishmaniasis in an urban environment |
| topic | visceral leishmaniasis canine leishmaniasis sampling epidemiology canine population |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.642287/full |
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