Prevalence and Risk Factors for Canine Leishmaniasis in Mashhad, North East of Iran

The present study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of canine leishmaniasis in a population of owned and strayed dogs in Mashhad, north-east Iran. Of 300 serum samples obtained from dogs, 8.67% (26/300) were positive for Leishmania infantum by Indirect Florcense Antibody Test (IFAT). The sero-prevalence rates in owned and stray dogs were 9.5% (19/200) and 7% (7/100) respectively. Significant differences were observed between the age groups (P < 0.05); dogs less than one year old showed the highest seroprevalence rate (17.4 %). The seroprevalence rate for leishmania infection in male and female dogs were 10.43 % (17/163) and 6.57% (9/137) respectively. In addition, the seroprevalence rate for leishmania infection in small and large breeds of dogs were 10.5% (6/57) and 8.2% (29/243) respectively. No significant difference was found between sex and breed of the studied dogs. The number of lymphocytes were significantly higher in the leishmania-infected dogs than dogs which were not infected (P <0.05). Packed Cell Volume (PCV) determination revealed a high frequency of non-regenerative anaemia in leishmania infected dogs (52.6%). According to the results of the present study, the seroprevalence rate of canine leishmaniasis in the owned and stray dogs from Mashhad, northeast of Iran, is relatively high. In addition, non regenerative anemia is the most frequent hematological finding in the leishmania-infected dogs, which must be taken into account when dealing with diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis in endemic regions.