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Abstract
BackgroundLeishmania infantum is a vector-borne pathogen endemic in countries in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy. Dogs act as the primary reservoir for this parasite, but other animal species may also be infected. Low-to-moderate seroprevalence levels of infection have been reported in apparent healthy equine populations in southern Europe, reinforcing the importance of exploring those species, including horses, that act as a food source for vectors and may thus participate in the epizoological scenario of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL). Since little is known regarding the exposure to L. infantum in horses in Italy, we assessed the seroprevalence in healthy equine populations from different CanL endemic areas.MethodsThe survey was conducted on 660 apparently healthy horses distributed throughout central and northern regions of Italy between 2016 and 2019. Blood samples were collected and the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies (IgG) was investigated by the immunofluorescence antibody test. Information on the location and altitude of the stables, along with the horses’ breed, age, sex, and reproductive status was obtained by filling in a questionnaire. This was then used for statistical analysis by generalized linear models to explore risk factors associated with seroreactivity to L. infantum.ResultsAn average seroprevalence of 13.9% was detected for L. infantum in the equine populations investigated, with statistically significant associations between seroprevalence, geographical variables (northern vs central Italy, origin and altitude) and individual factors (i.e. age and breed morphotype).ConclusionsOur results highlight that horses are frequently exposed to L. infantum. Further prevalence surveys in horses, also using direct methods (e.g. PCR), are warranted to clarify the role of these hosts in the epidemiology of Leishmania in Italy.
Highlights
Leishmania infantum is a vector-borne pathogen endemic in countries in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy
A higher seroprevalence was recorded among horses that tested seropositive for Leishmania from the central regions (15.3%) compared to those from northern Italy (12.2%), the difference was not statistically significant (P-value = 0.248) (Table 2)
Altitude was significantly associated with seropositivity (P-value = 0.025): most positive animals were kept in stables located at an altitude of between 200 and 500 m.a.s.l. (i.e. 31 out of 172 examined, 18%), while a lower number of seroreactive animals was recorded in animals living at altitudes below 200 (i.e. 18 out of 147 examined, 12.2%), or above 500 m.a.s.l. (i.e. 11 out of 145 examined, 7.6%)
Summary
Leishmania infantum is a vector-borne pathogen endemic in countries in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy. Dogs act as the primary reservoir for this parasite, but other animal species may be infected. Low-to-moderate seroprevalence levels of infection have been reported in apparent healthy equine populations in southern Europe, reinforcing the importance of exploring those species, including horses, that act as a food source for vectors and may participate in the epizoological scenario of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL). The vector-borne parasitic protozoan Leishmania infantum is endemic in countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy where our study was carried out [1,2,3]. To the best of our knowledge, in Italy no report of clinical EL has been described to date
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