Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a life threatening zoonotic disease with a wide distribution in the Old and New World and increasing importance also in non-endemic areas. The purpose of this report is to present a consensus of opinions on the diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention of CanL in order to standardize the management of this infection. CanL is a disease in which infection far exceeds clinical disease due to the high prevalence of subclinical infection among endemic canine populations. The most useful diagnostic approaches include serology by quantitative techniques and PCR. High antibody levels are associated with severe parasitism and disease and are diagnostic of clinical leishmaniosis. However, the presence of lower antibody levels is not necessarily confirmatory for the disease and further work-up is necessary to confirm CanL by other diagnostic methods such as cytology, histopathology and PCR. We propose a system of four clinical stages, based on clinical signs, clinicopathological abnormalities and serological status. Suitable therapy and expected prognosis are presented for each of the stages. The combination of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol is the first line therapeutic protocol. However, although most dogs recover clinically after therapy, complete elimination of the parasite is usually not achieved and infected dogs may eventually relapse. Follow-up of treated dogs with blood counts, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, serology and PCR is essential for prevention of relapses. Protection against sand fly bites by topical insecticides is effective in reducing infection, and recent development of vaccines has indicated that prevention by vaccination is feasible.

N.B.: for a reprint of the article please contact leishvet@ucm.es

Canine leishmaniosis is a widely spread zoonosis that is potentially fatal to humans and dogs. Infection with Leishmania infantum is much more prevalent than clinical disease, and infected dogs with no signs of disease are able to potentially transmit the infection. Serology has a low sensitivity for the diagnosis of asymptomatic infection and PCR markedly increases it. New treatments devoted exclusively for the therapy of canine leishmaniosis is needed because current drugs do not reliably eliminate infection and might provoke resistance. Protection against sand-fly bites by topical insecticides is effective in reducing the rate of the infection, and recent development of vaccines has suggested that immune prophylaxis is feasible. Integrated prevention with topical insecticides reducing the feeding of vectors and vaccination blocking early infection can be the basis of successful control programs.

N.B.: for a reprint of the article please contact leishvet@ucm.es

Recent research has generated new insights on epidemiology, pathology and immunology of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and its genetic background. We now know that the prevalence of infection in endemic areas is considerably higher than that of apparent clinical illness. In addition, infection quickly spreads among dogs when optimal conditions for transmission occur. Infection induces granulomatous and harmful immune-mediated responses, and susceptibility to the disease is influenced by a complex genetic basis. These concepts will be instrumental for devising control programs. This review, the first in a series of two articles on CanL, presents an updated view on progress in elucidating the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this intriguing disease, and the second part focuses on progress in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

N.B.: for a reprint of the article please contact leishvet@ucm.es