ABSTRACT
Canine leishmaniasis was studied in 1,823 dogs from the Lisbon metropolitan region. The breeds most affected were doberman and German shepherd, independent of sex and use. Young adult (12.2%) and older dogs (14.7%) had higher prevalences of infection. Parasitological confirmation of serological diagnosis was higher in dogs with indirect fluorescent antibody test titer greater than or equal to 1:512, indicating that parasitological patency is a late event. Exposure of Leishmania in lymph nodes is more efficient for parasitological confirmation (75.4% of cases). Frequent signs of disease were enlarged lymph nodes and onychogriphosis. However, 53.8% of the dogs with significant antibody titers (greater than or equal to 1:128) showed no symptom, suggesting that canine leishmaniasis has a prolonged asymptomatic period. This study confirmed the importance of the dog as the reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis.
Subject(s)
Dog Diseases/transmission , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Age Factors , Animals , Disease Reservoirs , Dogs/parasitology , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/diagnosis , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/transmission , Lymph Nodes/parasitology , Population Dynamics , PortugalABSTRACT
Hepatozoon, sp. is described for the first time in foxes (Vulpes vulpes silacea) in Portugal. Of 301 foxes examined, 143 (48%) were infected. The gametocyte was the predominant stage of the life cycle and was found in every organ except the bone marrow, where schizonts were the most abundant stage. The morphological similarity of this parasite's gametocytes to Hepatozoon canis is emphasized.
Subject(s)
Coccidia/isolation & purification , Foxes/parasitology , Protozoan Infections, Animal , Animals , Bone Marrow/parasitology , Bone Marrow/pathology , Coccidia/growth & development , Coccidia/pathogenicity , Lymph Nodes/parasitology , Portugal , Protozoan Infections/parasitology , Protozoan Infections/pathology , Spleen/parasitologyABSTRACT
Leishmania parasites were found in three of 43 foxes examined in the Arrabida region of the Setúbal peninsula in Portugal, this brings the total number of cases of vulpine leishmaniasis to four in 71 animals examined in this area, a prevalence rate of 5.63%. The three parasitized foxes found in this study were all symptomless and NNN cultures inoculated with tissue extracts were positive for all three animals. The immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) was positive with titres greater than or equal to 1/128 in the three infected foxes. The isoenzyme electrophoretic profile obtained from these positive cultures showed the strains to be identical with others isolated in Portugal from man, dog and fox, as well as with strains from elsewhere in the Mediterranean (zymodeme 1). The prevalence rate of 5.63% is probably sufficient to maintain endemicity. The presence of a semi-autonomic sylvatic cycle in the area seems likely. Hepatozoon was found in 28 foxes (65.11%).
