Frequência de leishmaniose em felinos domésticos (felis catus) atendidos no hospital universitário veterinário da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (HUV-UFPB).

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is one of the top ten neglected tropical diseases and the domestic feline (Felis catus) is an accidental host and possible reservoir of the parasite, a fact that highlights the importance of research into the species, given the inseparability of animal and human health, when it comes to issues such as single health. Due to the scarcity of studies published on this subject in the state of Paraíba and especially in the region of Brejo Paraiba, this study assessed the frequency of feline leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum, using molecular diagnosis by conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) in peripheral blood. To this end, the reaction was carried out using blood samples from the routine outpatient clinic at HUV-UFPB, so that the composition of the sample body was established randomly and without patient screening criteria, consisting of 50 individuals, including 18 males and 32 females, while the samples were obtained during the second half of 2023, from June to December. Of the 50 samples analyzed for Leishmania infantum, none amplified the DNA fragment compatible with the protozoan, suggesting low or no infection in domestic cats (Felis catus) seen in the outpatient routine. From this point of view, these findings provide a basis for further studies aimed at determining the role of felines in the transmission of feline visceral leishmaniasis, as well as its occurrence in the Brejo paraibano micro-region, given that in the state of paraíba studies linked to this research are limited to serological analyses.