Abstract
Aim:The point prevalence of ocular lesions due to leishmaniasis was evaluated in 127 dogs living in a municipal shelter placed in a highly endemic area (Sicily, Italy). Moreover, the period prevalence, the type, and prognosis of lesions due to leishmaniasis were evaluated in 132 dogs with ocular pathologies referred to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) in the same endemic area over a 3-year period.Materials and Methods:All the dogs were submitted to ophthalmological examination. The diagnosis of leishmaniasis was made by cytological, serological (immune-fluorescent antibody test), and molecular (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) tests.Results:The point prevalence of ocular lesions in 45 shelter dogs with leishmaniasis was 71.11% (45/127 dogs). The most frequent ocular lesion was blepharitis (50%) while anterior uveitis was observed in only 9.37% of cases. The period prevalence of ocular lesions due to leishmaniasis in the VTH group was 36.36% (48/132 dogs). In both groups, most of the lesions were bilateral and involved the anterior segment. Anterior uveitis was the most frequent ophthalmic finding in client-owned dogs (37.50%), but it occurred in only 9.37% of the shelter dogs. Keratouveitis often occurred during or after antiprotozoal treatment (14.58%; 7/48). In this study, the healing of eye injury following systemic antiprotozoal treatment was recorded in about half of cases (48%; 12/25 dogs), in which follow-up was possible. In more than 1/3 of cases (36%; 9/25), there was an improvement, but it was necessary to associate a long-term topical treatment; most of them, as well as those who had not responded to systemic therapy (16%; 4/25), had anterior uveitis or keratoconjunctivitis sicca.Conclusions:Ocular manifestations involve up to 2/3 of animals affected by canine leishmaniasis and lesions account for over 1/3 of ophthalmic pathologies observed at a referral clinic in an endemic area. The occurrence of anterior uveitis is more frequent in client-owned dogs than in shelter dogs. The onset of keratouveitis during or after antiprotozoal treatment could be attributed to the treatment or to a recurrence of the systemic form. The post-treatment uveal immune reaction, already observed in humans, could explain the difference in the frequency of keratouveitis between client-owned and shelter dogs, which have never been treated.
Highlights
Many endo- or ecto-parasites may affect animals and their adverse effects on health, production, and welfare have been repeatedly documented [1,2]
Ocular manifestations involve up to 2/3 of animals affected by canine leishmaniasis and lesions account for over 1/3 of ophthalmic pathologies observed at a referral clinic in an endemic area
The occurrence of anterior uveitis is more frequent in client-owned dogs than in shelter dogs
Summary
Many endo- or ecto-parasites may affect animals and their adverse effects on health, production, and welfare have been repeatedly documented [1,2]. Many parasitic diseases are zoonoses and a severe public health concern [3,4]. Canine leishmaniasis is a chronic and severe systemic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum. It is endemic in the Mediterranean area, and the infection vectors are sand flies (Phlebotomus spp.). The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
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