Dogs Harbor Leishmania braziliensis and Participate in the Transmission Cycle of Human Tegumentary Leishmaniasis

Jamile Lago; Deborah Fraga; Lívia Coelho; Matheus Silva de Jesus; Bruna Leite; Guilherme L Werneck; Sérgio Arruda; Ednaldo Lago; Edgar M Carvalho; Olivia Bacellar

doi:10.3390/pathogens12080981

Dogs Harbor Leishmania braziliensis and Participate in the Transmission Cycle of Human Tegumentary Leishmaniasis

Pathogens. 2023 Jul 27;12(8):981. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12080981.

Authors

Jamile Lago^{1

2}, Deborah Fraga³, Lívia Coelho³, Matheus Silva de Jesus³, Bruna Leite³, Guilherme L Werneck^{4

5}, Sérgio Arruda^{3

6}, Ednaldo Lago¹, Edgar M Carvalho^{1

3

6}, Olivia Bacellar^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Immunology Service, Professor Edgard Santos University Hospital Complex, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40110-160, BA, Brazil.
² Post-Graduate Course in Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia Medical School, Salvador 40026-010, BA, Brazil.
³ Gonçalo Moniz Institute (IGM), Fiocruz, Salvador 40296-710, BA, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20950-000, RJ, Brazil.
⁵ Institute for Public Health Studies, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 22290-240, RJ, Brazil.
⁶ Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI), CNPq, Salvador 40110-160, BA, Brazil.

Abstract

Dogs play an important role in transmission of Leishmania infantum, but epidemiologic and clinical studies of canine tegumentary leishmaniasis (CTL) are scarce. In an endemic area of human American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) caused by Leishmania braziliensis, we determine the prevalence and incidence of both CTL and subclinical (SC) L. braziliensis infection in dogs and evaluated if the presence of dogs with CTL or SC L. braziliensis infection is associated with the occurrence of human ATL. SC infection in healthy animals and CTL in animals with ulcers were determined by PCR on biopsied healthy skin or on ulcers or by detecting antibodies against soluble leishmania antigen. We compared the occurrence of human ATL in homes with dogs with CTL or SC infection with control homes without dogs or with dogs without CTL or SC infection. The prevalence of SC infection was 35% and of CTL 31%. The incidence of SC infection in dogs was 4.6% and of CTL 9.3%. The frequency of ATL in humans was 50% in homes with infected dogs and 13% in homes without L. braziliensis infection in dogs. CTL and SC infection is highly prevalent, and dogs may participate in the transmission chain of L. braziliensis.

Keywords: Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis; canine subclinical infection; canine tegumentary leishmaniasis; human American tegumentary leishmaniasis.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI); the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) (to EMC and OB); and the Fundacão de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) (to EMC); Funding Number is FAPESB-INC 0003/2019. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.