Vaccine trial against canine visceral leishmaniasis in the Islamic republic of Iran

ABSTRACT

Sixteen dogs were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1 received autoclaved Leishmania infantum vaccine with BCG. Group 2 received autoclaved L. major vaccine with BCG. Group 3 received BCG alone and Group 4 received normal saline. Dogs received the vaccines intradermally three times each at 30-day intervals. All dogs were tested at 2-month intervals with the leishmanin skin test and anti-Leishmania ELISA. Ninety days after the third dose, each dog received an intraperitoneal challenge of 2.5 X 10[6] infective promastigotes of L. infantum. Necropsy was performed on all dogs to investigate for parasites. All of the dogs in the unvaccinated groups were infected with L. infantum but of the dogs in the vaccinated groups, only one dog was infected