A century of leishmaniasis in Alpes-Maritimes, France.

A century of publications on leishmaniasis in Alpes-Maritimes, in southern France, is here reviewed. Autochtonous human and canine leishmaniasis were first recognised in this département, which lies by the Mediterranean Sea and near the Italian border, in 1918 and 1925, respectively. The parasite responsible for the leishmaniasis, Leishmania infantum, is transmitted by Phlebotomus perniciosus and P. ariasi. The human leishmaniasis is zoonotic, with domestic dogs acting as the main 'reservoir' hosts. In prospective surveys over the last two decades, a mean of 12% of the domestic dogs checked in Alpes-Maritimes have been found seropositive for L. infantum but only about 50% of the seropositive animals showed any clinical signs of infection at the time of the surveys. During the last 30 years, 178 cases of human visceral leishmaniasis have been recorded in the area. Such cases are sporadic and often opportunistic, occurring predominantly in children (29% of the 178 cases) or HIV-positive subjects (31%). Recently, it has been demonstrated that, in Alpes-Maritimes, approximately 20% of those found seropositive in leishmanin skin tests are asymptomatic carriers, with amastigotes in their peripheral blood.

Leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum in a FIV and FelV positive cat with a squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed with histological, serological and isoenzymatic methods.

Leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic zoonosis present in the Mediterranean area. Canidae (dog and fox) constitute the main reservoir hosts for the parasite, whilst wild rodents or the cat can be carriers of the protozoan and are considered as secondary potential reservoirs. This paper describes a case of disseminated feline leishmaniosis with cutaneous (ulcerative), visceral (spleen and lymph nodes) and blood involvement in a FIV-FelV positive cat. The microscopic identification of the Leishmania infection was initially made on a skin biopsy of the temporal area, where a squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed. The diagnosis of the disease was achieved by several serological techniques (ELISA, IFAT and Western-blot). The strain was obtained by blood culture, characterized by electrophoresis of isoenzymes and identified as Leishmania infantum zymodeme MON-1. Since the infection due to L. infantum is a zoonosis, the potential feline reservoir should be more investigated. Serological analysis by Western blot on domestic cats provides a useful tool. In veterinary practice, feline leishmaniosis should be systematically included in the differential diagnosis when compatible cutaneous lesions are present, especially in the endemic areas of canine leishmaniosis.

Disseminated feline leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum in Southern France.

A fortuitously discovered case of feline leishmaniosis is reported. The parasites were found in the skin and the bone marrow of a domestic female cat that spontaneously died after a few weeks of evolution. Serological tests for FeLV, FIV and PIF virus detection gave negative results. By using Western blot serology, a characteristic pattern of leishmaniosis was obtained and by performing an isoenzyme electrophoresis, a Leishmania infantum MON-1 strain was identified. The same zymodeme is implicated in most of the canine and human leishmaniosis in Southern Europe. A study on the prevalence of asymptomatic feline leismaniosis is foreseen.

[Phlebotomus perniciosus Newstead, 1911 naturally infected by promastigotes in the region of Nice (France)]. / Phlebotomus perniciosus Newstead, 1911 naturellement infesté par des promastigotes dans la région de Nice (France).

The authors report the results of investigations in Nice from July, 16 to August, 3, 1991. The 2,098 phlebotomes captured represent three species: Phlebotomus perniciosus, Phlebotomus ariasi and Sergentomyia minuta. Two species: P. perniciosus and P. ariasi are infected with promastigotes. About 4% of dissected females are parasited. This is the first description in France of P. perniciosus infected.

Effects of feeding time upon daily intake and body weight.

Feeding behavior in five dogs was studied in three experimental situations, called A, B and C. In situation A the dogs had free access to food and water. Results from this experiment were used to determine the times of high and low ingestion for each individual dog. In situation B, there was limited access to food during the dog's period of high ingestion, and in situation C there was limited access to food during periods of low ingestion. Daily food intake was found to diminish as the dogs proceeded from A and B to C, and was especially pronounced between A and C. Body weight also diminished significantly between A and C.

[Effect of pH on the motility of isolated jejunal loops in dogs]. / Action du pH sur la motilité d'une anse jéjunale isolée chez le chien.

Thirty-Vella jejunal loops are perfused at a constant rate with solutions of variable pH (1.55-11.25). Net loop absorption and motility of the oral segment do not significantly vary between pH values of 2.2 to 10.0. At a more acid pH, there exists a strong increase in the amplitude of pressure waves accompanied by a decrease in their frequence.

[Cardiovascular effects of S 2620 in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital]. / Propriétés cardio-vasculaires du S 2620 chez le chien anesthésié au pentobarbital.

In the dog under pentobarbitone anesthesia, the intravenous infusion of 1 mg/kg S 2620 results in tachycardia and systemic arterial hypertension. The same attenuated effects are caused by a second injection of the drug after cervical vagotomy and chemoreceptors denervation. Tachycardia and peripheral vaso constriction can account for elevation of arterial pressure.

[Influence of eating modalities on water intake in dog (author's transl)]. / Incidences des modalités d'alimentation sur la prise d'eau chez le chien

Food and water intake of a dog which had free access to water were studied in three experimental circumstances: 1) Food given ad libitum. 2) Food given at fixed hours. 3) Food deprivation for four days followed by resumption of food intake. A) The results indicate the water intake follows a pattern, the profile, range and duration of which can be modified within 24 hrs. In spite of modifications related to food intake, a typical profile remains which suggests that water is taken according to a program which is at least partly indepdent of food intake. B) Under experimental condition 1, food and water intake were weakly related, probably revealing an acquired relationship between the meal weight and the water intake which immediately precedes and follows food intake. The correlation was strengthened when the dog was forced to eat only once a day (observation 2). On the contrary, after a period of starvation (observation 3) the previous relationship between meal weight and water intake lessens and others appear which suggest the action of direct mechanisms of shortage compensation as far as water and food are concerned.