Potential animal reservoirs (dogs and bats) of human visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum in French Guiana.

ABSTRACT: In French Guiana, cutaneous leishmaniasis is highly endemic, whereas no autochthonous case of visceral leishmaniasis have been reported so far. However, due to its proximity to Brazil which is highly endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, and the high transboundary population flow, an epidemiological challenge could arise at any time. As an overseas department and region and the largest outermost region of the European Union, epidemiological surveillance of visceral leishmaniasis is of great importance. Our study aimed to investigate the presence of Leishmania spp. in domestic (dogs) and sylvatic (bats) animals from French Guiana. Over the 2008-2018 period, samples from 349 animals were collected. They included blood from 179 autochthonous dogs and 59 bats, spleen samples from 33 bats and, bl

SUBMITTER: Medkour H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6602241 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature