First Report of Canine Infection by () in the Brazilian Amazon.

UNLABELLED

The American cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are zooanthroponoses transmitted by sand flies. Brazil records thousands of human leishmaniasis cases annually. Dogs are reservoirs of , which causes VL, but their role in the transmission cycle of CL is debatable. Wild mammals are considered reservoirs of the aetiological agents of CL ( spp.).

OBJECTIVE

To describe the aetiology of leishmaniasis in dogs in an endemic area for CL and VL in the Amazon, Brazil.

METHODS

Clinical evaluation and blood collection of 40 dogs from the villages Ubim (20) and Socorro (20), city of Tomé-Açu, state of Pará, were carried out. The DNA extracted from the blood was used for PCR with -specific primers targeting the gene sequence. Products were sequenced (ABI3500XL), and the sequences were aligned, edited (BioEdit), and analyzed (Blastn).

RESULTS

Of the 34 amplified samples, 21 were sequenced, namely (12), (5), (3), and sp. (01).

CONCLUSION

Given the diversity of circulating pathogens, elucidation of the role of the dog in the spp. cycle in Amazonian villages is imperative to the surveillance of CL in the region. We present the first report in Brazil, confirmed by sequencing, of canine infection by , a species highly resistant to treatment in humans, with the drug of first choice (Glucantime).