Use of Antigen Combinations to Address Complex Leishmania-Seropositivity Patterns in Dogs Living in Canine Leishmaniosis Endemic Regions of Portugal

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2022

Authors

Lima, CS (Author) Other; Esteves, S (Author) Other; Costa, I (Author) Other; Brancal, H (Author) Other; Lima, C (Author) Other; Amorim, CG (Author) FFUP; Cardoso, L (Author) Other; Santarem, N (Author) Other; Anabela Cordeiro da Silva (Author) FFUP

Journal

Title: Microorganisms

Vol. 10

Final page: 2018

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00X-9KG

DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10102018

Abstract (EN): Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania infantum. Infection in dogs can result in a disease with non-specific clinical signs or in a subclinical condition. Infection diagnosis is crucial to guide public health measures considering the zoonotic potential of L. infantum. Serological approaches to detect infection with a reduced antigen panel potentially limit the quality of the information obtained. To evaluate the impact of using distinct antigens in a serological survey, a cohort with 390 dogs from endemic regions in Portugal was subjected to a serological evaluation using ELISA and DAT. Using ELISA, six Leishmania-specific antigens in conjunction with a non-related antigen, Escherichia coli soluble antigens, were evaluated. The global seroprevalence was 10.5% for DAT and 15.4 to 23.1% for ELISA, depending on the antigen for the latter. Still, only 8.2% of the animals were seropositive to all Leishmania-specific antigens. Importantly, a further 31.0% presented antigen-dependent seropositivity. Considering this observation, a serological score system was proposed and validated to address the complex serology results. With this system, the overall dog seropositivity was 26.9%. This work highlights the limitations of single-antigen serological surveys and presents an approach that might contribute to the establishment of CanL-specific serological profiles.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15