Epidemiologic and diagnostic survey for Chagas Disease and visceral leishmaniasis in domestic cats (felis catus domesticus) ffrom Ilha Solteira, SP

• Grant number: 10/13602-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2011
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Simone Baldini Lucheis
• Grantee: Maria Fernanda Alves Martin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The leishmaniasis are zoonoses that affect humans and other species of wild and domestic mammals, chronically and with diverse clinical manifestations. It is a disease caused by intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Leishmania infantum (syn. L. chagasi) is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the New World, Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector responsible for transmission. The cat, besides living closely with humans, also develops infection, usually asymptomatic and may also act as a reservoir of these protozoa. Given the specificity of clinical feline leishmaniasis (LF), the absence of pathognomonic signs and symptoms, the similarity of the clinical aspects of this disease with other very common in cats, as mycoplasmosis, feline leukemia virus (FIV) and immunodeficiency syndrome FeLV (Feline), this zoonosis should be systematically considered in the clinical suspicions of cats inhabit areas endemic for canine and human leishmaniasis. Samples of blood from 55 cats coming from the Association for the Protection of Animals (APAISA) of Ilha Solteira, co-inhabitants with dogs with visceral leishmaniasis, were collected. The blood culture technique showed 16,4% (9/55) flagellate protozoa. The technique of indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) for L. infantum (syn. L. chagasi) was tested on 51 cats, showing 62,7% (32/51) of animals reagents. Testing the technique of IFA for Trypanosoma cruzi, 54,9% (28/55) of animals were reactive. The search for anti-Leishmania antibodies and anti-Trypanosoma, the technique of ELISA with crude antigen, we found 72,5% (37/51) and 39,2% (20/55) of animals reagents, respectively. By ELISA with indirect rK39 for Leishmania infantum (syn. L.chagasi) gave a positive result in 21,6% (11/51) of tested cats. In order to check for possible co-infections in animals, they were tested too for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for FIV and Feline Mycoplasma, with 7,4% (4/54) and 14,8% ( 8/54) positive animals, respectively, and no infection by FeLV. For the PCR, the 55 whole blood samples tested, five (9.1%) were positive for Leishmania spp. Such samples were subjected to gene sequencing for identification of the species. We believe that, confronting all the results obtained with the diagnostic techniques used in this study it is possible to determine the importance of the cat as reservoir of Leishmania spp., and the PCR as an important tool for diagnostic confirmation. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MARTIN, Maria Fernanda Alves. Avaliação diagnóstica para Leishmania spp. e Trypanosoma cruzi em gatos domésticos procedentes da associação protetora dos animais do município de Ilha Solteira, SP, Brasil. 2013. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Medicina. Botucatu Botucatu.