Abstract
Zoonotic leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum is a disease of One Health concern since human and animal cases and environmental damage are interconnected. L. infantum has a complex epidemiological cycle with multiple hosts, including mammals—humans, domestic, and wild animals—and arthropod vectors. Knowledge on mammal infections in endemic areas is crucial for developing control strategies. This work aimed to detect and characterize L. infantum infection in domestic cats from areas where human and canine leishmaniasis cases occur. No cases of feline leishmaniasis (FeL) had been previously reported in those areas. Five municipalities from Bahia state were chosen, comprising 2,480.8 km2 with 1,103,866 inhabitants. Ninety domiciliated and/or sheltered cats underwent clinical examination and serology by a rapid reference test recommended by the Brazilian government. Cytology, PCR, and parasite DNA sequencing were performed in bone marrow samples. Rapid tests detected antibodies in 5.6% (5/90) of the cats. Leishmania infantum infection was confirmed in 7.8% (7/90) of the cats by PCR, sequencing, and parasite isolation. Three out of the five municipalities (60%) had infected cats, and PCR positivity varied from 6.9 to 29%. One cat was categorized as harboring active L. infantum infection with amastigote forms in bone marrow smears. No clinical signs were detected at the first clinical exam, but 1 month later the cat developed severe FeL. The cat isolate was grown in culture, typed and its DNA sequence was homologous to the L. infantum reference strain (PP75). In conclusion, cats are potential hosts and may acquire L. infantum in endemic areas where canine and human cases occur. For cats, the need for surveillance, differential diagnosis and clinical care is highly recommended since a fast clinical progression of FeL developed in a subclinical animal. An accurate standardized immunodiagnostic assay for FeL is warranted.
Highlights
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease affecting humans and animals caused by more than 20 species of the protozoan Leishmania [1]
All 90 samples from bone marrow were analyzed by PCR and 7.8% (7/90) were positive for L. infantum DNA
The cat was negative for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline viral leukemia virus (FeLV) retroviruses as tested by the lateral flow assay (SNAP Combo Test, IDEXX Laboratories) in serum samples collected at T1, T2, and T3. This is the first study to report the infection by L. infantum in cats in the state of Bahia, Brazil, where 7.8% of cats were infected by L. infantum
Summary
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease affecting humans and animals caused by more than 20 species of the protozoan Leishmania [1]. They are endemic in 92 countries, where more than one billion people are at risk of infection [2]. There is no human vaccine [4, 5] and the prevalence of leishmaniasis is closely linked to the human development index and environmental degradation [6, 7] This zoonosis remains a serious public health problem and is recognized as one of the 20 major neglected tropical diseases [8]. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most fatal form of leishmaniasis in humans caused by Leishmania donovani/Leishmania infantum (Old World) and Leishmania chagasi (same as L. infantum) in the New World [10]
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