<i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic, systemic, and often severe disease. The main causative agent of CanL is a protozoan parasite, <i>Leishmania infantum</i>, with phlebotomine sand flies acting as vectors. In Europe and other continents, <i>L. infantum</i> is also respo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2352 |
| _version_ | 1797590608363126784 |
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| author | Paulo Afonso Ana Cláudia Coelho Hélder Quintas Luís Cardoso |
| author_facet | Paulo Afonso Ana Cláudia Coelho Hélder Quintas Luís Cardoso |
| author_sort | Paulo Afonso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic, systemic, and often severe disease. The main causative agent of CanL is a protozoan parasite, <i>Leishmania infantum</i>, with phlebotomine sand flies acting as vectors. In Europe and other continents, <i>L. infantum</i> is also responsible for leishmaniosis in other animals, such as cats, horses, and humans. In Portugal, animal and human leishmaniosis is endemic, and high prevalence levels of infections and disease have been reported in dogs. There is a prejudice against stray animals and also those housed in shelters, assuming they have higher levels of infection with vector-borne pathogens, including <i>L. infantum</i>, when compared to domestic animals. In northeastern Portugal, serum samples were obtained from March to May 2022 in three shelters (<i>n</i> = 179) and thirteen veterinary clinics (<i>n</i> = 164), resulting in 343 dogs being analyzed for antibodies to <i>Leishmania</i> spp. by the direct agglutination test (DAT). The overall seroprevalence was 9.9%, with 15.2% seroprevalence in domestic dogs and 5.0% in the shelter ones (<i>p</i> = 0.003). The fact that shelter dogs had a lower seroprevalence could be explained by more regular veterinary care provided in shelters regarding preventive measures, including insecticides with an antifeeding effect, in comparison with domestic dogs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cdb6755bf4644c94adcfc1eba43ebc76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-cdb6755bf4644c94adcfc1eba43ebc762023-11-18T18:01:12ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-07-011314235210.3390/ani13142352<i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic CommunitiesPaulo Afonso0Ana Cláudia Coelho1Hélder Quintas2Luís Cardoso3CECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalAgrarian School, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalCECAV—Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCanine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic, systemic, and often severe disease. The main causative agent of CanL is a protozoan parasite, <i>Leishmania infantum</i>, with phlebotomine sand flies acting as vectors. In Europe and other continents, <i>L. infantum</i> is also responsible for leishmaniosis in other animals, such as cats, horses, and humans. In Portugal, animal and human leishmaniosis is endemic, and high prevalence levels of infections and disease have been reported in dogs. There is a prejudice against stray animals and also those housed in shelters, assuming they have higher levels of infection with vector-borne pathogens, including <i>L. infantum</i>, when compared to domestic animals. In northeastern Portugal, serum samples were obtained from March to May 2022 in three shelters (<i>n</i> = 179) and thirteen veterinary clinics (<i>n</i> = 164), resulting in 343 dogs being analyzed for antibodies to <i>Leishmania</i> spp. by the direct agglutination test (DAT). The overall seroprevalence was 9.9%, with 15.2% seroprevalence in domestic dogs and 5.0% in the shelter ones (<i>p</i> = 0.003). The fact that shelter dogs had a lower seroprevalence could be explained by more regular veterinary care provided in shelters regarding preventive measures, including insecticides with an antifeeding effect, in comparison with domestic dogs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2352dogdomesticleishmaniosisPortugalshelter |
| spellingShingle | Paulo Afonso Ana Cláudia Coelho Hélder Quintas Luís Cardoso <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities Animals dog domestic leishmaniosis Portugal shelter |
| title | <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities |
| title_full | <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities |
| title_fullStr | <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities |
| title_short | <i>Leishmania</i> Seroprevalence in Dogs: Comparing Shelter and Domestic Communities |
| title_sort | i leishmania i seroprevalence in dogs comparing shelter and domestic communities |
| topic | dog domestic leishmaniosis Portugal shelter |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2352 |
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