Laboratório de Sanidade Animal, Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI, Teresina, PI, Brasil.
Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Dokkyo Medical University, Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Japan.
Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2020 Dec 4;29(4):e017820. doi: 10.1590/S1984-29612020099. eCollection 2020.
Leishmania infantum infection in cats has been reported in several countries, including Brazil. However, the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) from cats to another host has not been proven yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the possibility of L. infantum transmission from cats to dogs. In order to verify the possibility of VL transmission from the cat to the dog, xenodiagnosis was carried out in a VL-positive cat, using 55 female Lutzomyia longipalpis. Five days later, 40 insects were dissected to verify Leishmania infection. The remaining 15 females were fed in a healthy dog. The potential infection of the dog was verified through clinical, serological, parasitological examinations, and PCR, at three, six, and twelve months post-infection. All 55 L. longipalpis females became visibly engorged. Leishmania promastigotes were detected in 27.5% of the dissected insects. Leishmania infection in the dog was confirmed upon first evaluation. DNA sequencing of the parasite isolated from the cat confirmed L. infantum infection and showed 99% similarity with the L. infantum DNA sequences from the dogs. Through this study, it was possible to confirm the L. infantum experimental transmission from a domestic cat to a domestic dog through its biological vector L. longipalpis.
猫感染利什曼原虫病已在多个国家（包括巴西）报道。然而，猫向其他宿主传播内脏利什曼病（VL）尚未得到证实。因此，本研究旨在验证从猫向狗传播利什曼原虫的可能性。为了验证 VL 从猫向狗传播的可能性，对一只阳性 VL 猫进行了异种诊断，使用了 55 只雌性长角血厉螨。5 天后，解剖了 40 只昆虫以验证是否感染利什曼原虫。其余 15 只雌性血厉螨在一只健康的狗身上喂食。通过临床、血清学、寄生虫学检查和 PCR，在感染后三个月、六个月和十二个月时，验证狗的潜在感染情况。所有 55 只长角血厉螨雌性均可见明显血吸饱。在 27.5%的解剖昆虫中检测到利什曼原虫前鞭毛体。在首次评估时，确认了狗感染了利什曼原虫。从猫中分离出的寄生虫的 DNA 测序证实了感染了利什曼原虫，并与来自狗的利什曼原虫 DNA 序列显示出 99%的相似性。通过这项研究，证实了通过其生物媒介长角血厉螨从家猫向家犬传播利什曼原虫的实验性传播。
