Abstract
Different parasites that commonly occur concomitantly can influence one another, sometimes with unpredictable effects. We evaluated pathological aspects of dogs naturally co-infected with Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis. The health status of the dogs was investigated based on histopathological, hematological and biochemical analyses of 21 animals infected solely with L. infantum and 22 dogs co- infected with L. infantum and E. canis. The skin of both groups showed chronic, predominantly lymphohistioplasmacytic inflammatory reaction. The plasmacytosis in the lymphoid tissues was likely related with the hypergammaglobulinemia detected in all the dogs. The disorganization of extracellular matrix found in the reticular dermis of the inguinal region and ear, characterized by the substitution of thick collagen fibers for thin fibers, was attributed to the degree of inflammatory reaction, irrespective of the presence of parasites. In addition, the histopathological analysis revealed that twice as many dogs in the co-infected group presented Leishmania amastigotes in the ear skin than those infected solely with Leishmania, increasing the possibility of becoming infected through sand fly vectors. Our findings highlight the fact that the health of dogs infected concomitantly with L. infantum and E. canis is severely compromised due to their high levels of total plasma protein, globulins, alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase, and severe anemia.
Highlights
Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) are severe arthropod-borne diseases caused, respectively, by the obligatory intracellular pathogens Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis
Whereas L. infantum is transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, mostly Lutzomyia longipalpis, E. canis is transmitted by ticks, mainly Rhipicephalus sanguineus (REY, 2001; NICHOLSON et al, 2010)
We considered positive for CVL and CME only animals that tested positive in both serological and molecular tests, which resulted in animals monoinfected with L. infantum (Group 1 – G1) and co-infected with L. infantum and E. canis (Group 2 – G2)
Summary
Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) are severe arthropod-borne diseases caused, respectively, by the obligatory intracellular pathogens Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis. Whereas L. infantum is transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, mostly Lutzomyia longipalpis, E. canis is transmitted by ticks, mainly Rhipicephalus sanguineus (REY, 2001; NICHOLSON et al, 2010). Since these pathogens can infect humans, dogs play an important role in human epidemiology of these diseases because they are source of arthropod vector-borne infections (UNVER et al, 2001; ISMAIL et al, 2010; DAY, 2011). The pathogenesis of any specific parasite in an individual host co-infected with another parasitic species may be very different from an infection caused by the same parasites in another individual host These facts constitute a number of implications for the epidemiological and clinical aspects of human and veterinary parasitology (COX, 2001)
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Schedule a callMore From: Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria
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