Canine Leishmaniasis
Presenting signs
- Serious zoonotic protozoal infection of man and animals.
- Cause : intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania.
- Transmission is predominantly by sand-fly bites.
- Signs : the visceral form is more common in the dog and 90% of dogs have cutaneous or mucocutaneous involvement.
- Specific signs include chronic weight loss, lymphadenopathy, alopecia and exfoliative dermatitis, nodular skin lesions, chronic renal failure and epistaxis.
- Diagnosis : demonstration of the parasite in macrophages in lymph node or bone marrow aspirates and serology or PCR .
- Prognosis : relapses usually occur.
Presenting signs
- Cutaneous lesions - periocular alopecia extends to nasal skin and ears. Exfoliative dermatitis, nodular dermatitis, ulcerative dermatitis generalized particularly involving extremities .
- Claw abnormalities.
- Progressive weight loss.
- Anemia .
- Hyperkeratosis .
- Polyarthritis .
- Lethargy.
- Polydipsia /polyuria (renal failure).
- Ulcerative and nodular dermatitis.
- Diarrhea .
- Abdominal distension.
- Epistaxis .
- Infection rates can reach 40% in endemic areas.
- Infection endemic in areas between 40°N and 40°S in Africa, South America, Europe and Asia. Outside these areas, occurs in dogs that have traveled through or are imported from endemic areas.
- Countries adjoining the Mediterranean, including Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece) and North Africa, Central and South America.
- Reports from the Netherlands suggest that up to 0.23% of dogs taken on vacation to the countries bordering the Mediterranean and Portugal return with leishmaniasis .
- South-East USA, Asia (including India, Central Asia, China) and reported in Senegal, the Gambia and Sudan.
- Increasing prevalence in non-traveled Foxhounds resident in previously non-endemic areas of North America and Canada. Not present in Australia.
