Caso autóctone de Leishmaniose Visceral Canina e presença de flebotomíneos em área de elevada altitude

Carlos Roberto Cruz Ubirajara Filho,Gílcia Aparecida De Carvalho,Carlos Alberto Do Nascimento Ramos,Alessio Giannelli,Leucio Câmara Alves,Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos

doi:10.21708/avb.2021.15.1.9337

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disease that affects dogs. The aim of this study was to describe an autochthonous case of VL and to report the presence of sand flies in a high-altitude area of Northeastern Brazil. In February 2019, a sampling was performed of a suspected animal (n=1), and the presence of sand flies was investigated using CDC light traps. The dog scored positive for Leishmania infantum, and four specimens of sand flies were captured and classified as Lutzomyia evandroi. This study detected the first autochthonous case of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in an area of high altitude were only L. evandroi has been collected.

Highlights

Leishmaniasis is considered a tropical neglected disease widely spread throughout the world, with a great relevance in public health
Amongst the different clinical pictures presented by this disease, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been considered potentially fatal when unproperly treated
In Brazil, VL is caused by the trypanosomatid protozoa of the species Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, which is transmitted by sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia

Summary

Introduction

Leishmaniasis is considered a tropical neglected disease widely spread throughout the world, with a great relevance in public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 350 million people are at risk of infection, and approximately two million of new cases occur every year (WHO, 2019). Amongst the different clinical pictures presented by this disease, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been considered potentially fatal when unproperly treated. VL is considered a rural disease, with complex epidemiological chain involving wildlife as definitive vertebrate hosts (e.g., opossums and wild carnivores). Over the last decades it has been observed a spread of cases from rural to urban areas (DANTAS-TORRES and BRANDÃO-FILHO, 2006), with a reorganization of the cycle, involving domestic animals, including dogs

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