Socio-economic and environmental factors associated with the occurrence of canine infection by Leishmania infantum in Teresina, Brazil.

American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) is a zoonosis caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. In Brazil, the disease is caused by Leishmania infantum and the main vector is the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis, found both in natural ecotopes and in the rural and urban environments, being very well adapted to the peridomestic environment. The domestic dog has been incriminated as the main reservoir of the parasite in the urban environment, but the control measures based on culling seropositive dogs have not shown to be effective to contain the spread of the disease throughout the country.

Allopurinol therapy provides long term clinical improvement, but additional immunotherapy is required for sustained parasite clearance, in -infected dogs.

There is little evidence that current control strategies for canine leishmaniosis (CanL), the veterinary disease caused by infection, are having a positive impact. This is of critical importance because dogs are a primary reservoir for and a significant source of parasite transmission to humans. Drugs intended primarily for human use are prohibited for the treatment of CanL because of concerns over the propagation of resistant parasites.

Improving the serodiagnosis of canine infection in geographical areas of Brazil with different disease prevalence.

Serodiagnosis of infection in dogs relies on the detection of antibodies against leishmanial crude extracts or parasitic defined antigens. The expansion of canine leishmaniasis from geographical areas of Brazil in which the infection is endemic to regions in which the disease is emerging is occurring. This fact makes necessary the analysis of the serodiagnostic capabilities of different leishmanial preparations in distinct geographical locations.