Prevalencia de leishmaniosis canina en perros abandonados del ámbito periurbano de Murcia: evaluación de diferentes técnicas de diagnóstico
- Ortuño M. 1
- Risueño J. 1
- Muñoz C. 1
- Bernal A. 1
- Goyena E. 1
- García-Galán A. 1
- Berriatua E. 1
- Ortiz J
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1
Universidad de Murcia
info
ISSN: 0213-5434, 1989-1784
Year of publication: 2017
Issue: 33
Pages: 37-47
Type: Article
More publications in: Anales de veterinaria de Murcia
Abstract
This study investigates the prevalence and validity of diagnostic techniques of Canine Leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum, in 43 abandoned dogs of periurban areas of Murcia Region. This infection, transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies, is often asymptomatic in dogs, even without antibodies production against the parasite. Dogs were examined to detect compatible symptoms. Blood and lymphoid tissue samples were taken to analyze parasite’s presence by optical microscopy (OM) and in vitro culture, as well as DNA detection by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique, and anti-Leishmania antibodies detection in serum with Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. The percentage of symptomatic dogs was 16%, and positive results at the different diagnostic techniques were 37% at OM, 64% at PCR, 25% at culture and 40% at ELISA. The percentage of positive-PCR samples is similar to that described in asymptomatic dogs in endemic areas whereas OM and ELISA results are substantially higher than other studies in endemic areas, including a previous study in Murcia. The reasons of these results may be explained by the presence of symptomatic dogs in this study and the long time dedicated to OM impronts of up to three different tissues per animal, which raised diagnostic sensitivity. These results confirm the high prevalence of CanL in periurban areas of Murcia Region and the good sensitivity of optical microscopy in CanL diagnosis in the hands of an experienced observer.