ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis from Leishmania infantum is a parasitary zoonotic disease and a serious problem to public health. Guidelines from Italian Health Authority (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) suggest to control the zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis canine reservoir in endemic areas using an association of preventive and therapeutic tools. Moreover, in literature there are no studies about the long term effects on the disease seroprevalence and incidence in relation to this "holistic" approach. Past research has considered the effects of the alternative employment of preventive or therapeutic treatment, usually for limited periods. In this retrospective study the patterns of seroprevalence and incidence of leishmaniasis in a dog shelter sited in an endemic area of Central Italy are described throughout a 4-year period. Both preventive spot-on tools (imidacloprid/permetrin) and therapeutic protocols based on antimonials and allopurinol were administered. The results showed a progressive reduction of prevalence and incidence of serological reactivity to L. infantum, corroborating the effectiveness of the treatment administered to the animals. Significant improvements from the beginning to the end of the 4-year period were reported, considering both prevalence and incidence. A very low rate of relapses (8% in a pool of 67 subjects positive since 2004; 10.2% among all subjects enrolled in the study) was achieved.
Subject(s)
Antiprotozoal Agents/therapeutic use , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Leishmania infantum/immunology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Allopurinol/therapeutic use , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Disease Reservoirs/parasitology , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Dog Diseases/drug therapy , Dog Diseases/prevention & control , Dogs , Endemic Diseases/prevention & control , Female , Imidazoles/administration & dosage , Imidazoles/therapeutic use , Incidence , Italy/epidemiology , Leishmania infantum/isolation & purification , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/drug therapy , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/epidemiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/prevention & control , Male , Neonicotinoids , Nitro Compounds/administration & dosage , Nitro Compounds/therapeutic use , Permethrin/administration & dosage , Permethrin/therapeutic use , Retrospective Studies , Secondary Prevention , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
African horse sickness is a vector-transmitted viral disease that affects equidae. The authors report cases of disease that occurred in Namibia between 2006 and 2008. These were recorded by staff of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale' and the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek. All cases described were confirmed by laboratory testing. This study received the support of Namibian state and private veterinarians and horse breeders.
