Serological and molecular survey of Leishmania parasites in apparently healthy dogs in the West Bank, Palestine

dc.contributor.authorHamarsheh, Omar
dc.contributor.authorNasereddin, Abedalmajeed
dc.contributor.authorDamaj, Safa
dc.contributor.authorSawalha, SamIr
dc.contributor.authorAl-Jawabreh, Hanan
dc.contributor.authorAzmi, Kifaya
dc.contributor.authorAmro, Ahmad
dc.contributor.authorEreqat, Suheir
dc.contributor.authorAbdeen, Ziad
dc.contributor.authorAl-Jawabreh, Amer
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-10T17:55:00Z
dc.date.available2018-09-10T17:55:00Z
dc.date.issued2012-08-31
dc.description.abstractBackground: Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is caused by Leishmania infantum in all Mediterranean countries. The Leishmania parasite is transmitted by the bite of a corresponding sand fly vector and primarily maintained in nature by wild and domestic reservoirs, including dogs, foxes and jackals. Infected dogs are the primary reservoir host in endemic regions and are the most significant risk disposing humans to infection. The present study aimed at assessing the prevalence of infection with Leishmania and identification of Leishmania infantum in domestic dogs in the West Bank, Palestine. Methods: The infection rate among domestic dogs collected from seven districts in the Palestinian West Bank was investigated by examination of parasites in culture from the buffy coat using serological and molecular methods; based on ELISA, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and cysteine protease (CPB) PCR. Results: Out of 215 dogs examined for Leishmania, 36 (16.7%) were positive in at least one method. Twenty three animals (11.5%) were positive for Leishmania DNA, whereas, ELISA and culture revealed 16 (7.5%), and 4 (1.5%) respectively. CPB-PCR on one of three culture-positive isolates revealed Leishmania infantum as the causative agent for Leishmania infection in dogs. Conclusions: Our study showed that canine leishmania infection is prevalent with varying degrees in all the seven studied districts in Palestine despite the absence of human VL cases in 4 of these districts. The causative agent was confirmed to be Leishmania infantum.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors would like to thank the Palestinian Ministry of Health (PMOH) for providing support in samples collection. Financial support is provided by the MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL COOPERATION PROGRAM (MERC) project M27- 072, on surveillance and control of visceral leishmaniasis in the Middle East & North Africa.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1756-3305
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.alquds.edu/handle/20.500.12213/881
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherBMCen_US
dc.subjectSerological and molecular diagnosisen_US
dc.subjectLeishmaniaen_US
dc.subjectDomestic dogsen_US
dc.subjectWest banken_US
dc.subjectPalestineen_US
dc.titleSerological and molecular survey of Leishmania parasites in apparently healthy dogs in the West Bank, Palestineen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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