ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2241-9837 Vol. 12 (2), pp. 001-007, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Seroepidemiological survey of canine Visceral leishemanisis in Sarab District, East Azerbaijan Province, Northwest of Iran in 2009
M. Khanmohammadi1*, E. Fallah2, S. Rahbari3, I. Sohrabi4, M. Farshchian5, F. Hamzavi6 and A. Mohammadpour Asl
1Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
3Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
4Department of Pathology, Faculty of veterinary, Islamic Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
5Department of Microbiology, Faculty Health and Nutrition of, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
6Department of Immunology, Emam Reza hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
7Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Accepted 28 June, 2010
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most important endemic parasitic diseases in different parts of Iran. It is also a health problem in some tropical and subtropical countries. The purpose of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of canine VL (CVL) in owned dogs of Sarab and to identify the isolated Leishmania species. Sera samples were taken from 384 dogs from 30 random villages around Sarab and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . A total of thirty five dogs were seropositive. The seroprevalence rate (SPR) of CVL was 9.1% (95 % CI; 6.6 - 12.4). Out of 361 (94%) asymptomatic dogs, 31 (8.6%) were seropositive, and out of 23 (6%) symptomatic dogs, 4 (17.4%) were seropositive. 306 (79.7%) dogs were male and 78 (20.3%) were female. 28 (9.2%) male dogs and 7 (9%) female dogs were seropositive. There was no statistically significant relation between sex and seroprevalence (p = 0.962). The largest age group was 2 - 4 years, with 170 (44.3%) dogs out of which only 18 dogs (10.5%) were seropositive. Agreement between the ELISA test and clinical signs was 86.7%. A significant difference in the presence of antibodies against Leishmania was seen between symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs (p = 0.015) . ELISA was efficiently sensitive in the identification of infected dogs and seems to be an appropriate tool in rapid diagnostic screenings. ELISA is highly recommended to be applied as a standard test for routine CVL diagnosis.
Key words: Dogs, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), epidemiology, Iran, Visceral leishmaniasis, prevalence, serology.