Leishmaniasis is a "neglected tropical disease" and serious public health issue in Brazil. While dogs are recognized as particularly important reservoirs, recent reports of domestic cats infected with Leishmania sp. in urban areas suggest their participation in the epidemiological chain of the parasite in endemic areas. The aim of this study was to screen domestic cats for Leishmania sp. infection in an area where human and canine visceral leishmaniasis are endemic, followed by the identification of the species circulating in cats. We collected peripheral blood, lymph-node aspirates and bone marrow from 100 adult animals, both male and female, and analyzed the samples using cytological and molecular (PCR) detection techniques. We detected Leishmania in 6% of animals, which were then analyzed by RFLP-PCR to identify the species. Leishmania infantum (synonym: L. chagasi), a species responsible for visceral leishmaniasis in humans and other animals, was identified from all six samples. Amastigotes were observed in the peripheral blood, bone marrow and lymph-node aspirates in 4 of the 6 PCR-positive animals. The presence of infected cats in endemic areas should not be neglected, because it demonstrates the potential role of these animals in the biological cycle of the pathogen.

Canine ehrlichiosis is a very important infectious disease in Brazil, with higher prevalence rates in tropical and subtropical regions due to the distribution of the vector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hematological alterations of dogs naturally infected with Ehrlichia spp. or Anaplasma platys, diagnosed by the visualization of morulae in mononuclear cells or platelets in blood smears. We have evaluated 909 blood smears of dogs submitted to the Veterinary Hospital, during the period of fourteen months. In infections caused by Ehrlichia spp. the most frequent changes were anemia (74.85%), eosinopenia (62.85%), nuclear deviation of neutrophils to the left (14,85%), lymphopenia (56.57%) and leukopenia (29.71%). On the other hand, in infections suggestive of Anaplasma platys it was observed lymphopenia (51.85%), leukopenia (24.07%) and eosinopenia (44.44%). Among the anemic animals, the most common type of anemia was normocytic normochromic. Thus, eosinopenia, lymphopenia, normocytic normochromic anemia and leukopenia were the most common findings in the studied infections.