Organ-specific immunity in canine visceral leishmaniasis: analysis of symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs naturally infected with Leishmania chagasi.

We characterized key leukocyte immunophenotypes in the liver and spleen of naturally infected dogs from an area in Venezuela endemic for leishmaniasis. Dogs were classified as symptomatic or asymptomatic after serologic and physical analysis. Symptomatic dogs showed a higher parasite burden in the liver and spleen than asymptomatic dogs.

Epidemiological aspects of human and canine visceral leishmaniasis in Venezuela.

Objective: To report recent data on the distribution of human and canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Venezuela, and to highlight problems associated with effective control measures.

Methods: We report the number of cases, incidence rate, age and sex distribution, and mortality rates for human VL (HVL) for the period of 1995 through 2000, based on National Registry of Leishmaniasis data. We carried out serological studies on a total of 3 025 domestic dogs from the 12 states in Venezuela reporting cases of human VL in this 1995-2000 period and also from the state of Yaracuy, where cases were reported earlier during the decade of the 1990s.