Inquérito epidemiológico de leishmaniose canina em um município da região do Recôncavo Baiano

Abstract

Bahia state presents cases of human visceral leishmaniasis (LVH) caused by Leishmania infantum, as well as reports of infection in animals. Recôncavo Baiano, where the disease is known to be endemic in humans, has not yet been studied for canine leishmaniasis caused by L. infantum (LCan). The objective was to investigate an epidemiological situation of the disease in the municipality of Muritiba, located in the recôncavo, where an LVH is considered a sporadic occurrence. 351 dogs were examined clinically and by serological and molecular diagnosis (PCR) from samples of bone marrow aspirate; environmental aspects were raised and as places that had seropositive dogs registered by georeferencing. Based on the requirements of Ministry of Health, the dog with positive results in serology a screening test (TR-DPP) and a confirmatory test (ELISA) was considered positive, found a seroprevalence of 15.7% (55/351). No association was found between seropositivity for LCan and sex, race, age and whether the dogs were domiciled. Regarding the clinical characterization of seropositive dogs, 72.7% (40/55) presented some clinical sign suggestive of LCan, such as alopecia (p <0.0001), skin ulcers (p <0.0001), onychoglyphosis (p < 0.0001), depigmentation of the dog's snout (p <0.0001), crusts on the skin (p = 0.0051) and hyperkeratosis (p <0.0001), eye changes (p = 0.0117), apathy (p = 0.0007), weight loss (p <0.0001), pale mucous membranes (p = 0.0015), enlarged lymph nodes (p = 0.0139) and splenomegaly (p <0.0001). Bone marrow PCR method performed in 36 seropositive dogs confirmed the presence of L. infantum DNA in 88.8% (32/36) of these dogs. It was also found that positive animals are not evenly distributed in the municipality and that environmental aspects such as poultry farming and the lack of basic sanitation are adequate to allow the maintenance of vectors in the region, or the presence of agents that offer a risk of transmission to humans and maintenance of infection among animals that generate an endemic potential in the studied area. The data confirm an occurrence of infection and canine disease caused by L. infantum in the municipality of Muritiba.