Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from northern Portugal.
Abstract: The first case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from the north of Portugal, with a 1.5 cm in diameter ulcerated nodular lesion on the left face, is reported. The skin nodule was surgically excised and assessed by histopathology, including an immunohistochemistry method applied for the first time to equine tissues which clearly demonstrated leishmanial amastigote forms. Two serological determinations with the direct agglutination test performed 13 months apart showed seroconversion specific for Leishmania from a <25 to a 200 antibody titre. Polymerase chain reaction followed by kinetoplast DNA sequencing provided a 116-bp sequence with 98% identity to Leishmania infantum closest sequence deposited in GenBank. No recurrence was observed after complete surgical excision. Leishmaniosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous nodular or papular lesions in the equine species in Portugal.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2013-12-14 PubMed ID: 24388338DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.12.005Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The researchers report the first instance of cutaneous leishmaniosis, a skin disease, in a horse from Portugal. They applied a new immunohistology method to horse tissue to identify the disease and proved successful treatment with surgical excision.
Introduction to the Case
- The report is based on a single case of cutaneous leishmaniosis found in a horse from Northern Portugal.
- This horse presented an ulcerated nodular lesion on its left face.
- This marks the first reported incidence of this disease in a horse from Portugal.
Examination and Analysis
- The skin nodule was surgically removed and then subjected to histopathological examination.
- The researchers applied an immunohistochemistry method to the equine tissues – the first time such a technique has been used in this context.
- This method successfully revealed leishmanial amastigote forms, an indicator of Leishmania infection.
Confirming diagnosis
- Two serological determinations with the direct agglutination test were performed 13 months apart.
- This testing revealed a seroconversion indicative of Leishmania infection, confirmed by a change in antibody titre from <25 to a 200.
- Further investigation involved Polymerase chain reaction following by kinetoplast DNA sequencing.
- The outcome provided a 116-bp sequence with a 98% identity to Leishmania infantum, which supported initial findings.
Treatment and Outcome
- The affected horse did not show any recurrence of the lesions after the surgical excision of the nodule.
Conclusion
- Based on this result, the paper suggests that leishmaniosis should be considered in differential diagnosis of cutaneous nodular or papular lesions in equine species, at least in Portugal.
Cite This Article
APA
Gama A, Elias J, Ribeiro AJ, Alegria N, Schallig HD, Silva F, Santarém N, Cardoso L, Cotovio M.
(2013).
Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from northern Portugal.
Vet Parasitol, 200(1-2), 189-192.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.12.005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Veterinary Hospital, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Veterinary Hospital, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
- Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT), Royal Tropical Institute, Department of Parasitology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Oporto, Portugal. Electronic address: lcardoso@utad.pt.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Leishmania / genetics
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / diagnosis
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / parasitology
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / pathology
- Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / veterinary
- Male
- Portugal
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- 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).
- Ortega-García MV, Salguero FJ, García N, Domínguez M, Moreno I, Berrocal A. Equine infection with Leishmania spp. in Costa Rica: Study of five cases. Vet Med Sci 2021 Nov;7(6):2234-2239.
- Cardoso L, Schallig H, Persichetti MF, Pennisi MG. New Epidemiological Aspects of Animal Leishmaniosis in Europe: The Role of Vertebrate Hosts Other Than Dogs. Pathogens 2021 Mar 6;10(3).
- 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.
- Gazzonis AL, Bertero F, Moretta I, Morganti G, Mortarino M, Villa L, Zanzani SA, Morandi B, Rinnovati R, Vitale F, Manfredi MT, Cardoso L, Veronesi F. Detecting antibodies to Leishmania infantum in horses from areas with different epizooticity levels of canine leishmaniosis and a retrospective revision of Italian data. Parasit Vectors 2020 Oct 22;13(1):530.
- Escobar TA, Dowich G, Dos Santos TP, Zuravski L, Duarte CA, Lübeck I, Manfredini V. Assessment of Leishmania infantum infection in equine populations in a canine visceral leishmaniosis transmission area. BMC Vet Res 2019 Oct 30;15(1):381.
- Nardoni S, Altomonte I, Salari F, Martini M, Mancianti F. Serological and Molecular Findings of Leishmania Infection in Healthy Donkeys (Equus asinus) from a Canine Leishmaniosis Endemic Focus in Tuscany, Italy: A Preliminary Report. Pathogens 2019 Jul 9;8(3).
- Miró G, Troyano A, Montoya A, Fariñas F, Fermín ML, Flores L, Rojo C, Checa R, Gálvez R, Marino V, Fragío C, Martínez-Nevado E. First report of Leishmania infantum infection in the endangered orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in Madrid, Spain. Parasit Vectors 2018 Mar 20;11(1):185.
- Murillo A, Lebrero ME, Valdés M, Ramos J, Villanueva-Saz S, Davies JE, Gómez Á, Pérez E, Riera C, Marteles-Aragüés D. Post-surgical seroreversion in a case of equine cutaneous leishmaniosis by Leishmania infantum. Vet Res Commun 2026 Jan 8;50(2):91.
- Hacilarlioglu S, Bilgic HB, Karagenc T, Aydin HB, Toker H, Kanlioglu H, Pekagirbas M, Bakirci S. Molecular Detection and Prevalence of Equine Piroplasmosis and Other Blood Parasites in Equids of Western Aegean Türkiye. Vet Sci 2025 Aug 27;12(9).
- Modrý D, Hainisch EK, Fuehrer HP, Kniha E, Unterköfler MS, Sádlová J, Jahn P, Řeháková K, Sedlák K, Votýpka J. Emergence of Autochthonous Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis Infections in Horses, Czech Republic and Austria, 2019-2023. Emerg Infect Dis 2025 Sep;31(9):1838-1842.
- Carbonara M, Mendoza-Roldan JA, Bezerra-Santos MA, de Abreu Teles PP, Lia RP, Locantore F, Iatta R, Volf P, Otranto D. Leishmania spp. in equids and their potential vectors in endemic areas of canine leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024 Jul;18(7):e0012290.
- 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).
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