In recent years feline leishmanial infections (FLI) have been studied more than
ever before in various parts of the world. However, evidence-based knowledge on
FLI has remained unavailable. The main objectives of this study were to
investigate the status of felines infected by
Leishmania
spp.
worldwide. Data were extracted from 10 available databases over the period of
1982 to 2017. Overall, 78 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were
used for data extraction in this systematic review. The overall FLI prevalence
by both serological and molecular methods was estimated at 10% (95% CI: 8%-14%).
In Italy, both the seroprevalence (24 %) and PCR prevalence (21 %) were found to
be higher than in other countries. The most common diagnostic test used was the
indirect fluorescent antibody test (38.5%). Studies on mixed-breed felines were
more common than those on other breeds, while the most common parasite species
was
L. infantum
(63%). Our findings suggest that cats act as
primary and/or secondary reservoir hosts in the transmission of the
Leishmania
spp. to humans and also to dogs, by sandflies,
at least in endemic foci. Moreover, available data confirm the enzootic
stability situation of FLI in several countries including some in Europe.
BackgroundLeishmaniasis is an extremely relevant tropical disease, with global distribution. It still remains a main public health concern in low-income countries, and it is necessary to support more research on this common disease. Thus, a bibliometric analysis of the global scientific production on leishmaniasis was carried out.MethodsAll the articles registered in Web of Science with the subject of leishmaniasis between 2006 and 2015 were analysed, using Pajek and VOS viewer as tools.Results13,658 records in the field of leishmaniasis were indexed in the Web of Science database for this ten-year study period (2006–2015). This shows that studies on leishmaniasis have been growing, from 1071 in 2006 to 1537 in 2015. “Sundar S” is the most active researcher in the field of leishmaniasis, compiling and participating in 232 Articles. Brazil ranks first in scientific production, by performing 3315 studies on leishmaniasis. The United States, United Kingdom and Australia had the most collaboration in performing the studies of leishmaniasis with each other. In addition, PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES published the most articles, with 483.ConclusionOur data shows an increase in the number of publications in the field of leishmaniasis. In addition, Brazil, USA, and India lead scientific production on leishmaniasis research.
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