Differentiation between canine cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis by the detection of immunoglobulin G specific for Leishmania ( Viannia) braziliensis and Leishmania ( Leishmania) chagasi antigens using flow cytometry

• Published in: Veterinary parasitology Vol. 154; no. 3; pp. 341 - 346
• Main Authors: Santiago, Marta de Almeida, Ribeiro, Flávia Coelho, Mouta-Confort, Eliame, Nascimento, Lílian Dias, Schubach, Armando de Oliveira, Madeira, Maria de Fatima, Bertho, Álvaro Luiz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 04-07-2008; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier
• Subjects: animal pathogens; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; antigens; Antigens, Protozoan; Canine leishmaniasis; cutaneous leishmaniasis; diagnostic techniques; disease diagnosis; dog diseases; Dog Diseases - diagnosis; Dog Diseases - immunology; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; Flow cytometry; Flow Cytometry - veterinary; IgG; immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Leishmania; Leishmania - classification; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania donovani; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - immunology; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - parasitology; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - veterinary; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - immunology; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - parasitology; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - veterinary; pathogen identification; Species Specificity; visceral leishmaniasis; IgG; Flow cytometry; Canine leishmaniasis; Leishmania
• ISSN: 0304-4017; 1873-2550
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.03.009

Flow cytometry employing
Leishmania (
L.)
chagasi (Lc) and
L. (
Viannia)
braziliensis (Lb) antigen was used to establish the differential diagnosis between visceral (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in dogs. Flow cytometry permitted the detection of
Leishmania-specific immunoglobulin G in sera from 19 dogs: nine with CL and 10 with VL. A significant difference in the percentage of positive staining was observed in sera from dogs with CL between the homologous antigen (69% for Lb) and the heterologous antigen (42% for Lc). However, this difference was not significant in sera from dogs with VL (61% for Lb and 73% for Lc). No significant staining was observed in control sera (0.6% for Lb and 0.4% for Lc) consisting of samples from healthy dogs, or in the group with sporotrichosis (1.8% for Lb and 1.5% for Lc), a differential diagnosis of CL. The results suggest that flow cytometry might be useful for the differentiation between CL and VL in dogs, with practical applications in areas where the two infections overlap.