Leishmania infantum xenodiagnosis from vertically infected dogs reveals significant skin tropism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dogs are the primary reservoir for human visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum. Phlebotomine sand flies maintain zoonotic transmission of parasites between dogs and humans. A subset of dogs is infected transplacentally during gestation, but at what stage of the clinical spectrum vertically infected dogs contribute to the infected sand fly pool is unknown.

Methodology/principal findings

We examined infectiousness of dogs vertically infected with L. infantum from multiple clinical states to the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis using xenodiagnosis and found that vertically infected dogs were infectious to sand flies at differing rates. Dogs with mild to moderate disease showed significantly higher transmission to the vector than dogs with subclinical or sever

SUBMITTER: Scorza BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8523039 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature