First detection of Leishmania infantum DNA within the brain of naturally infected dogs

Visceral leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum (L. chagasi). In dogs, the disease presents with systemic manifestations, including neurological disorders. There are rare reports of the presence of the parasite in the central nervous system of infected dogs, and some evidences of inflammatory lesions and the breakdown of cerebral barriers have been described. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of L infantum DNA in five specific areas of the brains of 20 naturally infected dogs by real-time PCR. For the first time, the presence of parasite DNA was detected and quantified in the brains of naturally infected dogs, in all evaluated regions. These data provide strong evidence of the presence of the Leishmania parasite in the nervous milieu and contribute to a new perspective of the pathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Treatment of canine leishmaniasis with marbofloxacin in dogs with renal disease.

Treatment of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) represents a challenge. Due to the high prevalence of renal disease associated to CanL, it is important to find an effective drug that does not damage the kidneys. Marbofloxacin has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in non-azotemic dogs with leishmaniasis. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of marbofloxacin in dogs with leishmaniasis and decreased renal function, 28 dogs suffering from leishmaniasis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) were treated with oral marbofloxacin at 2 mg/Kg/day for 28 days. During treatment dogs were assessed by performing weekly physical exams, measuring blood pressure and evaluating blood and urine parameters. Lymph node aspirations were also obtained at days 0 and 28. The global clinical score decreased significantly, from 6.2±3.4 to 4.7±3.1 (p = 0.0001), after treatment. Marbofloxacin also decreased parasitic load in 72% of the dogs. No significant differences in plasma creatinine, urine specific gravity, urinary concentrations of cystatin C, ferritin and urinary protein loss were detected during treatment. A transient but significant decrease in blood pressure was detected up to day 14 (from 180.1±36.6 to 166.0±32.7 mmHg; p = 0.016). Moreover, dogs showed a significant increase in plasma albumin concentration (from 15.0±5.2 to 16.6±3.9 g/L; p = 0.014) and a significant decrease in globulin concentration (from 59.0±18.1 to 54.1±18.0 g/L; p = 0.005). The results demonstrate that, in addition to being effective for treatment of CanL, marbofloxacin is a very safe drug in dogs with CKD and leishmaniasis

Principal components analysis plot.

<p><b>Interrelation between the main parameters studied at day 0 (A) and at day 28 (B)</b>. Alb: albumin; AbTiter: antibody titer; Crea: creatinine; CScore: clinical score; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; Glob: globulins; P: phosphate; ParLoad: parasitic load; PCV: packed cell volume; SBP: systolic blood pressure; UCystatin: urine cystatin C; UFerritin: urine ferritin; UPC: urine protein to creatinine ratio.</p

Individual clinical score, antibody titers and parasitic load of the dogs under study before (at day 0) and after (at day 28) treatment with marbofloxacin.

<p>Individual clinical score, antibody titers and parasitic load of the dogs under study before (at day 0) and after (at day 28) treatment with marbofloxacin.</p

Individual renal function biomarkers of the dogs under study before (at day 0) and after (at day 28) treatment with marbofloxacin.

<p>Individual renal function biomarkers of the dogs under study before (at day 0) and after (at day 28) treatment with marbofloxacin.</p

Concentrations of plasma creatinine (A), plasma urea (B) and urine protein to creatinine (UPC) ratio (C) on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of treatment with marbofloxacin in the dogs under study.

<p>Values are expressed as the mean±standard deviation.</p

Haematological and biochemical parameters of 28 dogs with leishmaniasis and CKD before (at day 0) and after treatment (at day 28).

<p>Haematological and biochemical parameters of 28 dogs with leishmaniasis and CKD before (at day 0) and after treatment (at day 28).</p

Blood pressure measurement on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of treatment with marbofloxacin in the dogs under study.

<p>Values are expressed as the mean±standard deviation. ^a<i>p</i><0.02 vs day 0, ^b<i>p</i><0.02 vs day 7.</p