SOROPREVALÊNCIA E VARIÁVEIS EPIDEMIOLÓGICAS ASSOCIADAS À LEISHMANIOSE VISCERAL CANINA EM ÁREA ENDÊMICA NO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO LUÍS, MARANHÃO, BRASIL

• Main Authors: David Soeiro Barbosa, Alessandra Lima Rocha, Andressa Almeida Santana, Celeste da Silva Freitas de Souza, Ricardo Augusto Dias, Lívio Martins Costa-Júnior, Ana Lúcia Abreu-Silva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Goiás 2010-10-01
• Series: Ciência Animal Brasileira
• Subjects: Associated factors; canine visceral leishmaniasis; epidemiology; seroprevalence.
• Online Access: http://www.revistas.ufg.br/index.php/vet/article/view/5933/7934
• ISSN: 1518-2797; 1089-6891

This work aimed to determine the seroprevalence and epidemiological variables associated to Leishmania spp. infection in dogs from five locations of Tirirical District, in São Luís, Maranhão State, Brazil. Seventy-two houses were visited and samples of one hundred dogs were taken. A questionnaire was applied in order to investigate the possible factors related to the Leishmania infection. The following variables were used: forest proximity from the residence, livestock of domestic animals or shelter of wild animals, sex, age and breed. Clinical examination was also performed looking for clinical signs compatible to the infection. The serological analysis revealed that 67 samples were reactive. The clinical signs observed were focal lymphadenophaty, alopecia, weight loss, cutaneous ulcers, skin desquamation, keratoconjuntivitis and onycogrifosis. Animals from Cruzeiro de Santa Bárbara and Cajupari, both locations near the forest, have 3.4 and 12.0 more chances of being reactive to Leishmania spp. than the ones in the other studied locations. No statistical relation was found between seropositive dogs and any other variables.