00799-A: Development of Sensitive and Specific Diagnostic Tests to Aid in Eradication of Leishmania infantum from North American Foxhounds

Abstract

Canine visceral Leishmaniasis is an insect-transmitted disease caused by a protozoan parasite. Both humans and dogs can be infected. This disease occurs throughout the Mediterranean basin and is found in almost all breeds of dogs. Recent studies have shown that Leishmaniasis has found a niche in Foxhounds in the US. Overall 2 percent of Foxhounds in the U. S. are infected, but some hunts have had close to 40 percent infected dogs. At present, diagnostic tests for this disease do not always detect infected dogs even up to two years after infection. The aim of this proposal is to establish other diagnostic tests to better determine occurrence of Leishmania infection and begin testing Foxhounds with these tests to eliminate this disease from the US.

Publication(s)

Boggiatto, P. M., Ramer-Tait, A. E., Metz, K., Kramer, E. E., Gibson-Corley, K., Mullin, K., … Petersen, C. A. (2010). Immunologic Indicators of Clinical Progression during Canine Leishmania infantum Infection. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 17(2), 267–273. https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00456-09

Gibson-Corley, K. N., Hostetter, J. M., Hostetter, S. J., Mullin, K., Ramer-Tait, A. E., Boggiatto, P. M., & Petersen, C. A. (2008). Disseminated Leishmania infantum infection in two sibling foxhounds due to possible vertical transmission. The Canadian Veterinary Journal = La Revue Veterinaire Canadienne, 49(10), 1005–1008.