Canine leishmaniasis–United Kingdom update

Over a wide area of the warmer parts of the world the dog is the principal reservoir of human visceral leishmaniasis (kala‐azar), a serious and widespread protozoal disease. Following recent reports of canine leishmaniasis in the United Kingdom, this clinically vague, relapsing disease is being recognized more frequently in imported dogs. After reviewing clinico‐pathological and epidemiological aspects of the disease, this paper discusses practical problems such as the availability and relatively low efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents, mandatory serological testing of dogs in quarantine, the legal aspects of diagnosis in quarantine and the use of imported drugs. The public health risks inherent in the management of a relapsing zoonosis potentially capable of infecting man in the absence of the insect vector are evaluated.