Inquérito soroepidemiológico para leishmaniose visceral canina em municípios na Grande Vitória, Espírito Santo - Brasil

Abstract

The Leishmaniases are a group of infectious and parasitic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), or calazar, is caused by the species Leishmania chagasi and is transmitted by hematophagous sandflies, the main vectors in Brazil being the Lutzomyia longipalpis sandfly. VL is a zoonosis that occurs in mammals, mainly canines and humans. The clinical presentation of VL varies according to the strain of the agent and the host-parasite relationship. The clinical signs observed in affected dogs are skin lesions and scaling, lymphadenomegaly, onychogryphosis and progressive weight loss, which may progress to death. The objective of the project was to carry out a cross-sectional study in the canine population of the municipalities of the Grande Vitória Region, Espírito Santo - Brazil. To evaluate the prevalence of Visceral Leishmaniasis in this region, through serological tests (RIFI), and to characterize the risk factors associated with canine infection. We analyzed 154 samples, selected by convenience sampling. Of these, 61.8% of the animals were from Vila Velha, 27.9% from Vitória, 5.8% from Serra and 4.5% from Cariacica. The dogs' ages ranged from one month to 17 years, with an average age of 6.5 years. In serological assays, the presence of the anti-Leishmania antibodies was not evidenced in the study population. Confirming that, to date, the research region is non-endemic for Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis.