Abstract
In canine visceral leishmaniasis, coinfections can aggravate the disease. Our aim was to investigate Brucella canis in dogs infected with Leishmania infantum. One hundred and six L. infantum-seropositive dogs were submitted to serology for B. canis, PCR for B. canis and L. infantum, and histopathological analysis of the genital tract. Anti-B. canis antibodies were detected in seven dogs whose clinical signs, L. infantum load and histological alterations were similar to those of seronegative animals. The circulation of anti-B. canis antibodies was low but demonstrates the exposure of dogs to this bacterium in a visceral leishmaniasis-endemic area.
Highlights
Brucella canis is the main causative agent of canine brucellosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease
Few studies found frequencies of seropositivity higher than 20% in Brazil (Rodrigues et al 2016). This variation in Brucella seropositivity might be related to the different geographic regions analyzed and the different diagnostic tests used in these studies (AGID, rapid plate agglutination test with and without 2-mercaptoethanol, and tube agglutination test)
A comparative study of serological techniques for the diagnosis of canine brucellosis was conducted on 127 dogs using the results of blood culture, culture of semen/ vaginal swab, and PCR in blood and semen/ vaginal swab as reference standards (Keid et al 2009)
Summary
Brucella canis is the main causative agent of canine brucellosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease. Transmission occurs by the venereal route and through contact of broken skin or mucosae with or ingestion of contaminated tissue or body fluids such as aborted fetuses, placenta and reproductive secretions. This bacterium can cause late abortion, as well as endometritis, epididymitis, prostatitis, and orchitis in dogs (Hollett 2006, Rodrigues et al 2016). The protozoan Leishmania infantum is the causative agent of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), a zoonosis with a worldwide distribution whose main reservoir in urban areas is the dog (Oliveira et al 2017). Infection with L. infantum can cause orchitis, epididymitis, prostatitis, vaginitis, and endometritis (Boechat et al 2020)
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