American cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses from endemic areas in the north-central mesoregion of Paraná state, Brazil.
Abstract: American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is an endemic disease in the north-west of Paraná state, Brazil, where it occurs in humans and dogs. Few studies have been undertaken on the occurrence of the disease in other domestic animals and horses. In this study we investigated the infection of horses by Leishmania in ACL-endemic rural areas. Direct agglutination test (DAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were employed. Fifty-five horses from rural areas in the municipalities of Doutor Camargo, Ourizona, São Jorge do Ivaí, Ivatuba and Santa Fé (Agua do O) were analysed. DAT-detected antibody titres varied from 10 to 640, and 42 (76.3%) animals presented titres > or =20. PCR analyses led to the detection of Leishmania (Viannia) DNA in the blood samples of three (7.1%) of 42 animals. The presence of anti-L. (V.) braziliensis antibodies and Leishmania (Viannia) DNA in horses from endemic areas suggests their participation in the ACL transmission cycle.
Publication Date: 2008-03-12 PubMed ID: 18331518DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01106.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Endemic Disease
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The research article discusses a study focused on the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), a disease common in humans and dogs, in horses in the north-west of Paraná, Brazil.
Background
- The study revolves around American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), a disease that typically affects humans and dogs and is endemic in Paraná, Brazil.
- There is a scarcity of research on the presence of this disease in other domestic animals, particularly horses.
- In this particular region, both the causes and the effects of the disease in horses remain unexplored, hence the focus of this study.
Methods
- To investigate the infection of horses by Leishmania (the parasite causing ACL), the researchers used two main diagnostic tools: the Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
- DAT is a test that measures the presence and concentration of antibodies that the immune system produces to fight off the disease.
- PCR, on the other hand, is a genetic test that can detect the presence of specific DNA related to the parasite causing the disease.
- A total of 55 horses from various rural areas were included in the study.
Results
- The result of the DAT test showed varying antibody titres, with 42 animals (76.3% of subjects) indicating titres of 20 or above. This strongly suggested the horses had been exposed to the disease.
- The PCR analysis further confirmed presence of Leishmania (Viannia) DNA in blood samples from 7.1% of the animals, providing definitive evidence of infection.
Conclusion
- The combination of antibody detection and presence of Leishmania DNA in tested horses indicates their exposure to ACL.
- These findings suggest that horses might play a role in the transmission cycle of ACL in the endemic regions of Paraná, Brazil, an assumption that requires further research for confirmation.
Cite This Article
APA
Vedovello Filho D, Jorge FA, Lonardoni MV, Teodoro U, Silveira TG.
(2008).
American cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses from endemic areas in the north-central mesoregion of Paraná state, Brazil.
Zoonoses Public Health, 55(3), 149-155.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01106.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Postgraduate Course in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil.
MeSH Terms
- Agglutination Tests
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
- Brazil / epidemiology
- DNA, Protozoan / isolation & purification
- Disease Reservoirs / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horses
- Humans
- Leishmania / immunology
- Leishmania / isolation & purification
- Leishmania braziliensis / immunology
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / epidemiology
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / transmission
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / veterinary
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Public Health
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Ratzlaff FR, Osmari V, da Silva D, de Paula Vasconcellos JS, Pötter L, Fernandes FD, de Mello Filho JA, de Avila Botton S, Vogel FSF, Sangioni LA. Identification of infection by Leishmania spp. in wild and domestic animals in Brazil: a systematic review with meta-analysis (2001-2021). Parasitol Res 2023 Jul;122(7):1605-1619.
- Gazzonis AL, Morganti G, Porcellato I, Roccabianca P, Avallone G, Gavaudan S, Canonico C, Rigamonti G, Brachelente C, Veronesi F. Detection of Leishmania spp. in Chronic Dermatitis: Retrospective Study in Exposed Horse Populations. Pathogens 2022 May 31;11(6).
- Costa SCL, de Souza Freitas J, Carvalho FS, Pereira MJS, Cordeiro MD, da Fonseca AH, Gomes Jusi MM, Machado RZ, Munhoz AD. Frequency and factors associated of potential zoonotic pathogens (Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Leishmania spp., and Anaplasma phagocytophilum) in equids in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Parasit Vectors 2021 May 22;14(1):275.
- Leonel JAF, Tannihão B, Arantes JA, Vioti G, Benassi JC, Brandi RA, Ferreira HL, Keid LB, Soares RM, Oliveira TMFS. Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in blood samples of horses (Equus caballus) and donkeys (Equus asinus) by PCR. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2021;63:e12.
- Sack A, Oladunni FS, Gonchigoo B, Chambers TM, Gray GC. Zoonotic Diseases from Horses: A Systematic Review. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 Jul;20(7):484-495.
- Andrade MS, Courtenay O, Brito ME, Carvalho FG, Carvalho AW, Soares F, Carvalho SM, Costa PL, Zampieri R, Floeter-Winter LM, Shaw JJ, Brandão-Filho SP. Infectiousness of Sylvatic and Synanthropic Small Rodents Implicates a Multi-host Reservoir of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015;9(10):e0004137.
- Truppel JH, Otomura F, Teodoro U, Massafera R, da Costa-Ribeiro MC, Catarino CM, Dalagrana L, Costa Ferreira ME, Thomaz-Soccol V. Can equids be a reservoir of Leishmania braziliensis in endemic areas?. PLoS One 2014;9(4):e93731.
- Membrive NA, Rodrigues G, Gualda KP, Bernal MV, Oliveira DM, Lonardoni MV, Teodoro U, Teixeira JJ, Silveira TG. Environmental and animal characteristics as factors associated with American cutaneous leishmaniasis in rural locations with presence of dogs, Brazil. PLoS One 2012;7(11):e47050.
- Cova BO, Saranholi BH, Gestich CC, Machado PR, Monte-Alegre AF, Schriefer A. Invertebrate-Derived DNA (iDNA) to Identify Sand Flies' Bloodmeal: A Molecular Approach to Identifying Hosts in Blood-Feeding Vectors of Leishmaniasis. Microorganisms 2025 Nov 21;13(12).
- Djellouli M, Eddaikra N, Beneldjouzi A, Benikhlef R, Ghimire R, Wilkins M, Lafri I. Serological, molecular, and epidemiological assessment of Leishmania spp. in equids within a hotspot endemic area for cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern Algeria. Vet Res Commun 2025 Sep 25;49(6):328.
- Martínez-Sáez L, Dulac Q, Montaner-Angoiti E, Marín-García PJ, Llobat L. Prevalence and Factors Related to Leishmania infantum Infection in Healthy Horses (Equus caballus) from Eastern Spain. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 11;13(18).
- Athanasiou LV, Katsogiannou EG, Tyrnenopoulou P, Gougoulis D, Apostolidis KN, Papadakis SM, Kokkinaki KCG, Papatsiros VG, Tsokana CN. Evidence of Horse Exposure to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leishmania infantum in Greece through the Detection of IgG Antibodies in Serum and in an Alternative Diagnostic Sample-The Saliva. Biomolecules 2023 Sep 11;13(9).
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