ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease that is a major public health problem in tropical countries caused by flagellate protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Domestic animals and wild rodents have been reported as natural reservoir hosts. Thailand is a non-endemic area for leishmaniasis but human cases have been reported sporadically, particularly in southern Thailand. The objective of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of Leishmania infection in domestic animals in southern Thailand. Blood samples from 519 dogs, 250 cats, 113 rats, 19 shrews, 125 cattle, 95 buffaloes and spleen samples from 45 rats and 19 shrews were collected in Songkhla and Satun provinces. Seroreactivity to the Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) was found in 2.7% (14/519) of the dogs while 5.6% (14/250) of the cats were positive using ELISA. There were significant differences between positive samples based on adult age group in dogs and cats (χ2= 5.396, P= 0.020, χ2= 8.304, P = 0.004, respectively) and for the outdoor group in cats (χ2= 6.956, P= 0.008). The results found low seroprevalence of Leishmania infection in both dogs and cats, but they could be natural reservoir hosts for leishmaniasis in southern Thailand.
