CANINE VISCERAL LEISHMANIOSIS: BRIEF REVIEW AND CASE REPORTS

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a protozoan of the species Leishmania chagasi. It is transmitted by the bite of females of the infected vector insect, the sandfly known popularly as the straw mosquito; In Brazil, the main species responsible for transmission is Lutzomyia longipalpis. In Brazil, the disease has a wide geographical distribution and is responsible for 96% of reported cases in the Americas. It is a chronic evolutionary zoonosis with systemic involvement and, if left untreated, can lead to death in up to 90% of cases. In dogs, considered the main urban reservoir of the etiological agent, CVL is a disease that causes great suffering to affected animals, tutors and contactants. The clinical manifestations of CVL depend intrinsically on the type of immune response presented by its host. Clinical signs may appear from three months to several years after infection and are sometimes nonspecific. The laboratory diagnosis of CVL is based on the triad of serological, parasitological and molecular methods and is essential for staging the disease and choosing the appropriate treatment. Treatment aims to reduce the dog's parasitic load, neutralizing its infectious capacity, properly restoring its immune response, promoting clinical improvement and preventing relapses. The aim of this paper was to present a review of the expository literature on the epidemiological aspects, diagnosis, control and management of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) and to present case reports of positive diagnosed animals treated in a private network in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. clinical and parasitological point of view. The follow-up of the clinical cases presented allowed an analysis of the use, applicability and efficiency of the diagnostic methods available for leishmaniasis, and the currently available treatments, being useful in guiding the veterinarian in the clinical practice.