Does the immune privilege site of the ungueal region favor the maintenance of the infection in the digit of dogs with Visceral Leishmaniosis?

• Grant number: 17/21382-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: February 28, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Rosemeri de Oliveira Vasconcelos
• Grantee: Carolina Ribeiro Garcia de Paiva Lopes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Visceral Leishmaniasis (LV) is caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum, which from its inoculation in the primary cutaneous site of the dog, can infect several organs, causing an imbalance of the immune system. The nail bed is the site responsible for the growth of the nail and in dogs with LV onychogrifose, which is the exaggerated growth of the nails, is a clinical finding little studied. In recent studies it has been observed that in this site chronic infilamation associated with the presence of the parasite is observed. In addition there are obvious epidermal dermis junction lesions. The nail matrix is a site of immune privilege, which similar to other sites, maintains an immunologically subregulated environment to minimize the effects of an innate and adaptive immune response. The hypothesis of this study will be to evaluate if the site of unguinal immune privilege favors the maintenance of Leishmania infection due to its immunosuppressive environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate lesions and parasitic load of different regions of the nail bed and to compare these findings with the immunodetection of MHC-II, IL-10 and TGF-beta in these sites. Therefore, the digits of 16 dogs with LV (infected group) and 05 uninfected dogs (control group) will be used. Cytokines, MHC-II and parasite load will be identified in sections submitted to immunohistochemistry. (AU)