Leishmaniosis in dogs and cats

Abstract

Canine leishmaniosis is pushing northwards out of its traditional endemic regions as the distribution of its vector expands and increasing numbers of dogs travel between countries. In non-endemic areas, imported disease represents a threat to animal and human health. This article provides an understanding of the epidemiology, life cycle and transmission of Leishmania infantum, reviews its diagnosis and treatment, and briefly discusses the current understanding of feline leishmaniosis.

Nutritional Modulation of the Immune Response Mediated by Nucleotides in Canine Leishmaniosis

“…Immunotherapy could play a key role in the prevention and control of leishmaniasis, and targeting the host immune response to the parasite in dogs should help improve the efficacy of vaccines and treatment protocols [95,131,132]. There are several options available, and significant advances are being made through ongoing scientific research and new developments.…”

“…Another interesting potential path to be explored is leishmaniosis in cats. Underdiagnosed but increasingly reported around the world, the disease also affects cats [24,60,132,207]. In endemic areas, there is an association between feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and L. infantum infections, and these cats are suspected of having an underlying immune system impairment due to concurrent FIV infection (alone or together with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection), cancer, diabetes mellitus, or caused by an autoimmune disease or treatment with immunosuppressive drugs [207].…”

Leishmaniosis in a dog with no history of travel outside the UK

“…This case demonstrates it cannot be assumed that because a dog has no history of travel, leishmaniosis can be ruled out. It should still be considered as a differential in cases of weight loss, lymphadenopathy and ulcerative dermatitis in dogs 2 . It also serves as a reminder that we should not be complacent about the risk of Leishmania infantum establishing in the UK, even in the current absence of the sand fly vector.…”