Frequência e distribuição da leishmaniose visceral canina no município de Areia no período de 2018 e 2019

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by a protozoan of the genus Leishmania which has more than 20 species distributed around the world. Its transmission occurs through a vector, a hematophagous insect known as a sandfly. In the urban environment, the dog is considered the main reservoir of the disease and since visceral leishmaniasis was identified in the country, its control has become a challenge for researchers and for public health. In Paraíba, leishmaniasis is considered an endemic disease with great geographic expansion to urban areas, mainly in humans. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the frequency and distribution of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in the municipality of Areia between the years 2018 to 2019. The study was conducted in the municipality of Areia-PB, located in the microregion of Brejo Paraibano, being a cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study, using data provided by the Municipal Health Department, referring to the compilation of surveillance and monitoring actions for canine visceral leishmaniasis in the city. In order to obtain the data provided for the study, the epidemiological surveillance teams carried out visits to the communities, mainly in rural areas, and carried out examinations on dogs. First, the dogs went through the rapid Dual-Path Platform (DPP) screening test, followed by confirmation by the ELISA test. With the results obtained, tables were made using the Microsoft Office Excel® program. From 2018 to 2019, 451 rapid tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis were carried out in Areia-PB, from 23 different locations, 20 rural and three urban. In 2018, 229 were tested, 29 animals seroreactive, ie 12.6%, in 2019, 222 animals were tested, 23 animals seroreactive, ie 10.4% of positive cases, all in the screening test. It is noted that from 2018 to 2019 there was an increase in cases in this area, going from five positive cases to 12 cases in the following year, representing a 240% increase in the number of positive cases from one year to another. In the confirmatory test (ELISA), 66.7% (28/42) of the samples submitted to the confirmatory test in 2018 were positive. In 2019, 53.3% (9/16) of the samples were positive in the test. Thus, considering the tests in sequence, DPP and ELISA, as recommended by the Ministry of Health, the prevalence of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in the municipality of Areia-PB in 2018 was 8.7% (20/229). These data can help the municipal health secretary in planning prevention and control actions, establishing priorities according to the level of occurrence of animal infection and the risk of occurrence of human cases.