Abstract:
One of the most important canine vector-borne diseases in the Mediterranean region is canine leishmaniosis and there are frequent reports that it is spreading to the North and East of Europe. Romania is one of
the countries traditionally considered non-endemic.
However, L. infantum infections in dogs, humans and
one jackal, as well as vector-competent sandflies have
been recently reported in the country. To determine
the seroprevalence of this infection we collected sera
from 110 stray dogs, from two counties (Galați and
Călărași), from the south-east of Romania and investigated for the presence of IgG antibodies against Leishmania by an in-house ELISA. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected in 5 stray dogs from the county of
Galați. The prevalence in the county of Galați was
8.33% and the overall prevalence was 4.54%. These
results are comparable to what was reported before in
the southern county of Vâlcea and suggest that stray
dogs from the south of Romania are exposed to L.
infantum. There is a need for more studies in order to
understand the situation of L. infantum infections in
Romania.
