Molecular survey on the presence of Leishmania infantum in dogs in rural regions of Taybad County

Abstract

Aim: Leishmania infantum is the main cause of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar) in most parts of Iran and dogs are the most important host as its reservoirs. As far as Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the most dangerous diseases, especially for children in some provinces of Iran, high sensitivity to determining the infection in rural dogs has crucial importance in view of their close contact of them with human inhabitants. So, the present study was conducted to investigate and identify Leishmania infantum in dogs, in rural areas of Taybad city, eastern Iran. Methods: Blood samples were taken from the cephalic veins of 102 dogs in 3 groups: herd, guard, and stray. These samples were transferred to the laboratory by cold chain condition. 2 step PCR technique was used to investigate the presence of the parasite among the samples. Results: According to the results, out of 102 tested dogs, 4 (3.9%) of them were infected with Leishmania infantum. Also, the prevalence of the disease was not significantly related to age, sex, region, clinical symptoms, and type of dog, using the chi-square test (P> 0.05). Conclusion: According to the available findings, the rate of infection of dogs in Taybad city was evaluated as relatively low but the survey outcome emphasizes continuous monitoring of the reservoirs as well as rural inhabitants of the area.