A high prevalence of dogs seropositive to Leishmania in Zambia

Domestic dogs are the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum, a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in humans. Although the disease is widespread in the world, the burden of visceral or any other disease form of leishmaniasis is poorly documented in Zambia, largely due to lack of surveillance. Recently, three cases of autochthonous canine leishmaniasis (CanL) were reported in Zambia following decades of presumed disease absence. This finding intimated probable disease emergence, raising the need for the identification of infection foci. Thus, in this study, we conducted the first mass serological survey for Leishmania infections in domestic dogs from two densely populated urban areas of Zambia in July 2022. In some of the study sites, seropositivity was up to ∼17 %, suggesting probable presence of Leishmania transmission hot spots. Moreover, on follow-up surveys of seropositive dogs, presence of antileishmanial antibodies was a risk factor for dog survival (relative risk = 7.9; odds ratio = 42.5). Our findings implies that Leishmania infection can be a health issue in domestic dogs in Zambia. Considering the risk of zoonotic transmission, the need for improved disease diagnosis and surveillance in both humans, dogs and sand fly vectors is highlighted in Zambia.

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Publication Details

Journal
Parasitology International
Published
2025-04-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2025.103081
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.88

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article

A high prevalence of dogs seropositive to Leishmania in Zambia

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1 citations
Parasitology International
Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
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article

A high prevalence of dogs seropositive to Leishmania in Zambia

Yasuyuki Goto, Walter Muleya, Kelvin Sarenje, David Squarre, Herman M. Chambaro, Namwiinga R. Mulunda, Boniface Namangala, Junya Yamagishi, Gilbert Munsaka, Shohei Ogata, Lavel C. Moonga, Joseph Yamweka Chizimu, Chizu Sanjoba, Masahiro Kajihara, Tatsuki Sugi, Roma Chilengi, Mable Mutengo, Enala Tembo Mwase, Misheck Shawa, Kyoko Hayashida, Hirofumi Sawa
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Domestic dogs are the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum, a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in humans. Although the disease is widespread in the world, the burden of visceral or any other disease form of leishmaniasis is poorly documented in Zambia, largely due to lack of surveillance. Recently, three cases of autochthonous canine leishmaniasis (CanL) were reported in Zambia following decades of presumed disease absence. This finding intimated probable disease emergence, raising the need for the identification of infection foci. Thus, in this study, we conducted the first mass serological survey for Leishmania infections in domestic dogs from two densely populated urban areas of Zambia in July 2022. In some of the study sites, seropositivity was up to ∼17 %, suggesting probable presence of Leishmania transmission hot spots. Moreover, on follow-up surveys of seropositive dogs, presence of antileishmanial antibodies was a risk factor for dog survival (relative risk = 7.9; odds ratio = 42.5). Our findings implies that Leishmania infection can be a health issue in domestic dogs in Zambia. Considering the risk of zoonotic transmission, the need for improved disease diagnosis and surveillance in both humans, dogs and sand fly vectors is highlighted in Zambia.

Parasitology InternationalVol. 108
Hokkaido University of Science (JP), African Wildlife Foundation (US), International University of Japan (JP), Hokkaido University (JP), University Teaching Hospital (ZM), Lusaka Apex Medical University (ZM), University of Zambia (ZM), Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (ZM), Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZM), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (ZM), The University of Tokyo (JP)
Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
1.88
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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