Abstract
Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is a parasitic zoonosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania (L.) infantum and transmitted primarily by the bite of the blood-sucking insect (sandfly) Phlebotominae of the species Lutzomyia longipalpis. Species of the genus Leishmania are intracellular parasites of macrophages in humans, dogs, and a wide variety of wild animals, and if left untreated will…