Incidência da infecção por Leishmania infantum em cães da cidade de Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, entre 2021 e 2022

Abstract

Leishmaniasis are chronic, zoonotic, non-contagious infectious diseases of global relevance. The present work aimed to estimate the incidence of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs from different clinics and veterinary hospitals in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, between 2021 and 2022. The diagnosis was based on molecular detection of the agent, initially by TaqMan qPCR to detect the kinetoplast of Leishmania spp. followed by testing of positive samples by Sybr qPCR and endpointPCR of the L. infantum cathepsin gene. Samples that showed disparity between the aforementioned analyzes were tested again with the aim of amplifying the ITS gene of Leishmania spp. for sequencing purposes. Of 896 samples tested, 210 (23.44%) were positive for L. infantum by the TaqMan qPCR method. The incidence of dogs detected with Leishmania sp. DNA ranged from 13.5% to 32.4%. The incidence rate of leishmaniasis between 2021 and 2022 was 0.23 cases per month. The incidence density was adjusted to 234 cases per 1,000 dogs per month. Of the positive samples by TaqMan qPCR, 134 were confirmed by the qPCR reaction using the L. infantum cathepsin gene as a target. And when this protocol was evaluated in the endpointPCR reaction, 114 positive samples were observed, presenting bands of 223 base pairs. Comparing with previous studies in the same region, a significant variation in the prevalence rates of Canine Visceral Leishmania (CVL) was observed, which can be explained by environmental factors and the diagnostic methods used. TaqMan qPCR proved to be more effective in detection throughout the study, compared to SYBR and conventional PCR. It is concluded that rapid and reliable diagnostic methods are extremely important for controlling and preventing CVL. Although in the present study TaqMan qPCR proved to be more effective and had a higher detection rate, both methods have their advantages and limitations, and the choice depends on the specific needs of each study.