STUDIO LONGITUDINALE DELL’INFEZIONE NATURALE DA LEISHMANIA INFANTUM IN CANI DI UNA AREA ENDEMICA

Only few longitudinal studies are available to investigate the evolution of newly Leishmania infantum infection under field conditions. It was the aim of the present study to monitor the clinical and laboratory features of 23 kennel dogs at the first infection, in a two years longitudinal study. These abnormalities were expressed in a final score. Considering the longitudinal results of specific diagnostical tests associated to the clinical-pathological score, five categories of infection were created to rank the differences of the development of infection. In particular out of 23 infected dogs 13 (56,5%) showed an asymptomatic infection (i.e. 7 were subpatent, 4 prepatent and 2 persistent). Eight dogs (34,7%) presented clinical signs (patent infection) being 2 paucisymptomatic and 6 symptomatic. Two remaining dogs were lost during follow up and thus excluded from the study.