Comparison of parasitological, immunological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis in dogs with different clinical signs

Aiming to improve the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in an endemic area of the Northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil, the efficacy of parasitological, immunological and molecular diagnostic methods were studied. Dogs with and without clinical signs of the disease and positive for Lei...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary parasitology 2007-04, Vol.145 (3), p.245-252
Main Authors: Moreira, M.A.B., Luvizotto, M.C.R., Garcia, J.F., Corbett, C.E.P., Laurenti, M.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
antibody detection
biopsy
Biopsy, Fine-Needle - veterinary
Bone Marrow - parasitology
Canine leishmaniasis
canine visceral leishmaniasis
Diagnosis
diagnostic techniques
disease diagnosis
Dog Diseases - diagnosis
Dog Diseases - immunology
Dog Diseases - parasitology
Dogs
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary
fluorescent antibody technique
Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct - veterinary
immunocytochemistry
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry - veterinary
Leishmania
Leishmania ( Leishmania) infantum chagasi
Leishmania infantum
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - diagnosis
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - parasitology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - veterinary
Liver - parasitology
lymph node smears
lymph nodes
Lymph Nodes - parasitology
polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary
signs and symptoms (animals and humans)
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Summary:Aiming to improve the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in an endemic area of the Northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil, the efficacy of parasitological, immunological and molecular diagnostic methods were studied. Dogs with and without clinical signs of the disease and positive for Leishmania, by direct parasite identification on lymph node smears and/or specific antibody detection by ELISA, were selected for the study. According to the clinical signs, 89 dogs attending the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP in Araçatuba (SP, Brazil) were divided into three groups: symptomatic (36%), oligosymptomatic (22%) and asymptomatic (22%). Twenty-six dogs from an area non-endemic for CanL were used as negative controls (20%). Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) of popliteal lymph nodes were collected and Diff-Quick ®-stained for optical microscopy. Direct immunofluorescence, immunocytochemistry and parasite DNA amplification by PCR were also performed. After euthanasia, fragments of popliteal lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow and liver were collected and processed for HE and immunohistochemistry. Parasite detection by both HE and immunohistochemistry was specifically more effective in lymph nodes, when compared with the other organs. Immunolabeling provided higher sensitivity for parasite detection in the tissues. In the symptomatic group, assay sensitivity was 75.61% for direct parasite search on Diff-Quick ®-stained FNAs, 92.68% for direct immunofluorescence, 92.68% for immunocytochemistry and 100% for PCR; the corresponding values in the other clinical groups were: 32, 60, 76 and 96% (oligosymptomatic), and 39.13, 73.91, 100 and 95.65% (asymptomatic). Results of the control animals from the CanL non-endemic area were all negative, indicating that the methods used were 100% specific.
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.12.012