Use of domperidone in canine visceral leishmaniasis: gaps in veterinary knowledge and epidemiological implications

ABSTRACT

A pivotal strategy to decrease the risk of visceral leishmaniasis in humans is to control the infection and disease progression in dogs, the domestic reservoir of Leishmania infantum (L. chagasi). Immunotherapy is a viable approach to treat sick dogs because cell-mediated immunity is the principal defense mechanism against L. infantum. Domperidone is an immune-stimulatory drug increasingly used in veterinary medicine as a prophylactic or immunotherapeutic agent. Domperidone treatment has shown to prevent overt disease or improve the clinical condition of infected dogs. However, veterinarians should be aware of the potential cardiotoxicity of domperidone when given together with drugs that inhibit CYP450s liver enzymes or those that prolong the QT interval. On the other hand, learning whether domperidone treatment significantly decreases dog infectivity to sand fly vectors is of capital importance since this result should have a palpable impact on the infection risk of humans living in regions endemic for visceral leishmaniasis.