A survey on canine leishmaniasis in western Turkey by parasite, DNA and antibody detection assays

Y. Ozbel*, L. Oskam, S. Ozensoy, N. Turgay, M. Z. Alkan, C. L. Jaffe, M. A. Ozcel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

Human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum is found throughout the Mediterranean Region, including Turkey, where dogs are considered to be the main reservoir host for this parasite. In the district of Manisa, western Turkey, 37 human VL cases were reported from June 1993-August 1997. Twenty-four villages in this district were chosen for a survey of disease prevalence in dogs. The dogs, 490 in total, were examined using either the indirect immunofluoresence assay (IFAT) or direct agglutination test (DAT). Anti-Leishmania antibodies were found by at least one test in 5.3% (26/490) of the dogs. Infections were confirmed by parasitological examination of or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on lymph node aspirates in 65% (13/20) and 76.4% (13/17) of the seropositive dogs tested, respectively. The confirmation rate was 85% by combining the results of PCR and microscopy. Our results demonstrate that canine VL is wide spread in western Turkey where human VL is endemic, and that serodiagnosis is a valuable tool for monitoring the infection. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalActa Tropica
Volume74
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Jan 2000
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Diagnosis
  • Dog
  • Epidemiology
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Turkey

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A survey on canine leishmaniasis in western Turkey by parasite, DNA and antibody detection assays'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this