CANINE VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS AT JABOTICABAL

Abstract

A mature male mongrel dog from the Córrego Rico district, in the county of Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil, was presented showing apathy, dehydration, hyporexia, and paste feces. Clinical findings included alopecia with generalized dry exfoliative dermatitis, lymphadenopathy, onicogryphosis, and dry hair. Coproparasitologic examinations and cutaneous test were negative. Immunoenzimatic assay (ELISA) using promastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) chagasi as antigens showed positive results for the presence of antibodies to Leishmania spp. Cytological analyses of popliteal lymph nodes did not show amastigotes forms of Leishmania spp., although an inflammatory reaction was observed, suggesting leishmaniosis. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of lymph nodes and the liver showed positive immunomarkers for advance amastigotes forms of Leishmania spp. This disease in human population is associated with low socio-economic condition as found in peripheral neighborhoods. This first case report clearly shows the need to conduct epidemiologic studies to investigate the importance of Leishmania spp infection in animals of this municipality. KEY-WORDS: Visceral leishmaniosis. Dog. First-case report. Jaboticabal