Guidelines for prevention of leishmaniasis in dogs

Human infections with Leishmania protozoan , transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine flies, cause visceral, cutaneous, or mucocutaneous . Eighty-eight countries are , with > 2 million new infections worldwide year.1 The most severe disease forms are anthroponotic due to Leishmania donovani in the Indian and parts of central Asia and Africa and VL due to Leishmania infantum (Leishmania ) in the Mediterranean, parts of Asia, and America. dogs are the only confirmed domestic of zoonotic VL.2 Reports3–5 from various areas that the geographic range of leishmaniasis dogs is changing, including detection of new foci northern Italy and an extension of disease distribution Israel and France. Moreover, there is some that leishmaniasis in dogs could be enzootic the United States. Sporadic autochthonous cases disease have been reported in North America since 1980.6 Of particular importance is the outbreak leishmaniasis in Foxhounds at a New York kennel, was first detected in 1999. A subsequent survey Foxhounds, other breeds of dogs, and wild revealed that leishmaniasis in dogs is enzootic 18 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The lack of from Foxhounds to the wider dog population local wild canid population suggests that sand fly could not be involved, and thus infection these dogs must be maintained by non–sand fly routes. Neglected by researchers and funding agencies, control strategies have varied little for , but in recent years, there have been advances diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the disease. in prevention include evidence that the incidence zoonotic VL, both in humans and dogs, can reduced by treating dogs with dermal application of pyrethroids.7 a broad sense, the term prevention includes the of measures intended to avoid instances of by a pathogen or the pathological outcome of instances. Vaccination against pathogens is regarded a milestone in the field of infectious disease prevention; , this important tool is not yet available for prevention of leishmaniasis in dogs. developed by the Canine Leishmaniasis Group for diagnosis, clinical classification, and of leishmaniasis in dogs have been published.8,9 , we review preventive strategies by updating guidelines published in Italian in Veterinaria, the journal of the Italian Society of Veterinarians of Animals.10 The guidelines reported here are result of a thorough review of international literature , where inadequate or incomplete information existed, experience of working group members. For completeness, include a summary of research conducted produce safe Leishmania vaccines for dogs. Therefore, guidelines concern available preventive measures phlebotomine sand flies, the only established vector. It should be pointed out, however, non–sand fly transmission routes have long been and some have been confirmed experimentally, as transplacental11 and sexual12 routes as well as blood transfusion,13 although no evidence exists for via saliva or conjunctiva fluids. All these routes could be particularly important in in which autochthonous leishmaniasis in dogs has reported in the absence of sand flies (eg, northern )14 or in which local sand fly species have not yet implicated in enzootic transmission of leishmaniasis (eg, North America). In such circumstances, our may not be effective or relevant.