Infection of sandflies by a cat naturally infected with Leishmania infantum

Detection of antibodies against Leishmania infantum in cats (Felis catus) from the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

“…For example, an experimental study in Italy demonstrated the natural infection of Phlebotomus perniciosus by L. infantum in a cat 4 . In Brazil, the presence of L. infantum promastigotes in the midgut of Lutzomyia longipalpis, as demonstrated by xenodiagnosis, recently confirmed the presence of parasites in the skin of a cat, suggesting the ability of this animal to act as a source of infection 5 .…”

“…Moreover, it is important to assess infection by vectors that feed on L. infantumpositive cats 4,5 . The present study was the first serological study performed on cats from Pernambuco.…”

The first case report of Leishmania (leishmania) chagasi in Panthera leo in Brazil

“…It has been described the transmission of Leishmania by the feline vector (Phlebotomus perniciosus), suggesting that domestic cats may represent an additional reservoir for L. chagasi [2] . Possibly the transmission of the parasite to wild felidae was investigated by the bite of the genus Lutzomyia phlebotomy, endemic in the region.…”

“…Cats (Felis domesticus) are still regarded as unusual hosts for Leishmania spp., although the first record of feline leishmaniosis dates back to 1912 [2] . Originally, dogs were considered to be the only domestic reservoirs of Leishmania chagasi (L. chagasi) in Brazil [3] .…”

Occurrence of Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi in a domestic cat (Felis catus) in Andradina, São Paulo, Brazil: case report

“…The occurrence of Leishmania in cats has been described by parasitological, molecular (HATAM et al, 2010;TABAR et al, 2008), and serological tests (DIAKOU et al, 2009;SOLANO-GALLEGO et al, 2007) as well as by IFA (MAROLI et al, 2007;AYLLON et al, 2008).…”