Molecular and serological evaluation of visceral leishmaniasis in domestic dogs and cats in Maragheh County, north-west of Iran, 2018-2021.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by Leishmania infantum, of which dogs are the main reservoir. VL is endemic in the Middle East, also in some parts of Iran. Following reports of new cases of VL in children in Maragheh County, the non-endemic area of the disease, we encouraged to conduct a preliminary study on domestic dogs and cats to identify their potential role as reservoirs for the disease.

Materials and methods

This study was conducted during a period of 3 years from 2018 to 2021. Two hundred ownership dogs and 25 cats from Maragheh County, north-west of Iran, were randomly screened. Blood samples were collected. A direct agglutination test (DAT) was used for the detection of anti-L. infantum antibodies. Furthermore, buffy coat samples from the L

SUBMITTER: Soleimani A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9514466 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature