Serological study of exposure to leishmania in dogs living in shelters, in South-East Romania

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.