Dados do Trabalho

Título

Leishmania infantum infection in a dog from a Zoonoses Surveillance Unit on the South coast of São Paulo

Introdução

The genus Leishmania includes protozoa of broad medical and veterinary interest, that cause leishmaniasis, whose vectors are sandflies. Visceral leishmaniasis is the most serious form of zoonosis, whose main agent is Leishmania infantum (L. infantum). In Brazil, the number of infected animals in urban and wild environments is highlighted, since the behavioral adaptations of vectors and reservoirs have contributed to the expansion of the disease. The dogs allocated to Zoonoses Surveillance Units (ZSUs) are largely from the streets, where they have been exposed to sandflies present in urban and rural areas and can act as a reservoir for L. infantum. The frequent contact of these animals with humans and the presence of vectors in the environment can increase the risk of transmission of this zoonosis. Epidemiological surveillance of visceral leishmaniasis allows the implementation of control and prevention methods that cover animals, humans, and the environment, reducing the risk of zoonosis transmission.

Objetivo (s)

To evaluate the occurrence of L. infantum in 113 blood samples from dogs, coming from the ZSUs in six municipalities on the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and propose preventive measures to reduce the risk of disease transmission in the region.

Material e Métodos

The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals (CEUA) of Botucatu Medical School (FMB), registered under number 1434/2023. Blood collection was carried out by the institution's veterinarian. The conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (cPCR) technique was performed using the primers LCH14/LCH15 (167bp) that amplify the kDNA of L. infantum.

Resultados e Conclusão

One blood sample (0.88%) was found to be positive for L. infantum in a dog from the ZSU of Peruíbe, a male, puppy, found on the street and undergoing scabies treatment, without clinical signs indicative of leishmaniasis. The preliminary results demonstrate the importance of investigating visceral leishmaniasis in dogs on the coast of São Paulo, since these animals can act as reservoirs of the parasite and, with the presence of sandflies in the environment, can pose a risk of transmitting the zoonosis. Epidemiological surveillance for this zoonosis, from the point of view of One Health, allows the establishment of preventive measures, such as controlling sandflies in the environment, using repellent collars on animals, and sanitary maintenance of stalls, since coastal municipalities have an ecotope favorable to the presence of sandflies.

Palavras Chave

Zoonoses; Leishmaniasis; Molecular diagnosis; Canine; Epidemiological monitoring