Symposium presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta GA, November 2006.

Endemic canine visceral Leishmania infection is a predominant risk factor for this same infection in humans. This symposium will review the complexities of zoonotic visceral Leishmaniasis in the United States, highlighting the risks of maintaining Leishmania-infected dogs within this country and outlining the diagnostic tests available to aid in elimination of this disease from North America. The speakers will discuss clinical visceral Leishmaniasis and how it compares to disease currently seen in U.S. foxhounds, the current status of diagnostics available for this disease in dogs, the latest epidemiology of canine disease in the U.S. and review data-supported possibilities for disease transmission between canines and to humans.