Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Nov;87(5):822-31. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.12-0251. Epub 2012 Sep 17.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Leishmania infantum chagasi (L.i. chagasi syn. infantum) in northeastern Brazil, was responsible for 51,000 new VL cases from 1980 to 2003. Household presence of L. infantum-infected dogs is a major risk factor for human infection. Despite culling of dogs based on seropositivity, canine L. infantum seroprevalence remains near 20%, suggesting that dog culling is ineffective for preventing VL spread. We administered a cross-sectional survey to 224 households within 300 m of the homes of VL human patients diagnosed within the last year. The goal was to develop a model for voluntary preventative use based on characteristics and motivations of dog owners. We identified that owner knowledge deficiencies regarding canine transmission of L. infantum associated with increased risk of dog infection (odds ratio [OR] = 3.681, confidence interval [CI] = 1.223, 11.08). Higher owner education was associated with decreased levels of dog seropositivity (OR = 0.40, CI = 0.20, 0.81). Pet attachment (P = 0.036) and perception of risk/disease knowledge (P = 0.040) were significantly associated with willingness to voluntarily purchase canine VL prevention. These results highlight the importance of owner attachment to their pet in implementing reservoir-targeted zoonotic VL prevention.
内脏利什曼病（VL），由巴西东北部的 Leishmania infantum chagasi（L.i. chagasi syn. infantum）引起，在 1980 年至 2003 年期间导致了 51,000 例新的 VL 病例。家庭中存在感染利什曼原虫的狗是人类感染的主要危险因素。尽管根据血清阳性进行了犬类扑杀，但犬类利什曼原虫血清阳性率仍接近 20%，表明犬类扑杀对于防止 VL 传播无效。我们对过去一年内诊断出的 VL 人类患者家附近 300 米范围内的 224 户家庭进行了横断面调查。目的是根据犬主人的特征和动机制定自愿预防使用模型。我们发现，犬主人对利什曼原虫通过犬类传播的知识不足，与犬感染的风险增加有关（比值比[OR] = 3.681，置信区间[CI] = 1.223，11.08）。犬主人的教育程度越高，犬血清阳性率越低（OR = 0.40，CI = 0.20，0.81）。宠物依恋（P = 0.036）和对风险/疾病知识的感知（P = 0.040）与自愿购买犬类 VL 预防的意愿显著相关。这些结果强调了犬主人对其宠物的依恋在实施针对储存宿主的人畜共患 VL 预防中的重要性。
