Canine visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia: relationship between clinical and parasitologic status and infectivity for sand flies.

• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.64.119
• Publication Date: 2017-05-10T17:22:39Z
• Authors: B L Travi; C J Tabares; H Cadena; C Ferro; Y Osorio
• Keywords: Infectivity; Leishmania chagasi; Infection rate

We studied the reservoir competency of canines with distinct clinical presentations Leishmania chagasi infection. The parasitologic status asymptomatic and symptomatic dogs was determined by standard culture methods Infectivity assessed multiple xenodiagnoses Lutzomyia longipalpis, over a period 2-11 months. Asymptomatic were non-infective (0 5) while 2 7 oligosymptomatic infected L transmitting parasites at low rates (range 0.9-5.2% engorged flies). Polysymptomatic transmitted L. more frequently (4 8 dogs) reached higher infection 5.0-22.5% skin ear tended to be infective sand flies than that abdomen. Polymerase chain reaction hybridization (PCR-H) sensitive method for detection chagasi, yielding highest positive rate in serum (16 17 no distinction between groups. No association positivity PCR-H infectivity found. from clinically comparable groups Colombian Mediterranean foci differed. This may reflection varied nutritional conditions or vector fly species.