Myocardic histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation from dogs with visceral leishmaniasis.

• Grant number: 10/08125-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2010
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Mary Marcondes
• Grantee: Fernanda Harada Baltazar
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the changes that occur in visceral leishmaniasis, there are lesions in cardiac system. However, there are still many questions to be clarified regarding the pathogenesis of the injury in this organ, that is, whether it occurs by a nonspecific reactivity of the myocardium, or it can be caused by a myocarditis specifically due to visceral leishmaniasis. Although several authors have reported cardiac involvement in humans beings and in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis, the medical and veterinary literature are scarce regarding the description of histopathological and immunohistochemical changes that occur in myocardium. In an attempt to elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease, the immunostaining of Leishmania, lymphocytes, immunoglobulins and macrophages has been evaluated in some studies in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. Based on the hypothesis that dogs with visceral leishmaniasis have cardiac lesions and that the pathophysiology of the disease is not totally elucidated, Forty dogs with visceral leishmaniasis, referred to the Veterinary Hospital of São Paulo State University- Araçatuba, SP, will be studied with the objective to characterize the histopathological changes and detect, by immunohistochemistry, the presence of Leishmania, CD3 + T lymphocytes, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD21 +, CD79 +, CD68 + macrophages and IgG in myocardium.