Seroprevalence of Leishmaniosis Among Healthy Dogs in Istanbul

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), is one of the important zoonotic health problems of dogs, however it is not a notifiable disease in veterinary medicine in Turkey as yet, due to insufficient seroprevalence studies. Istanbul is a crossroad between Europe and Asia, which is of importance in order to evaluate the prevalence of CanL for better control policies. For this purpose, blood was taken from 171 clinically healthy dogs. Serum samples were examined using the Immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) serological method in a leishmania reference laboratory of the Italian government. Serum samples were diluted 1:40-1:5,120, where the dilution of 1:40 was considered positive. Five dogs were found positive (2.92%) at 1:160 and 1:320 dilutions and three dogs were positive at a 1:40 dilution. The prevalence rate was found to be similar to previous studies made in Istanbul. Due to the importance of the geographical location of Istanbul within Turkey, there is an elevated risk for distribution of CanL. For this reason, more seroprevalence studies are warranted for the control of the disease.