Diagnosis and clinical management of canine leishmaniosis by general veterinary practitioners: a questionnaire-based survey in Portugal

Background: Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) can be appropriately managed following international recommendations. However, few studies have assessed the preferred protocols in real-life veterinary practice and whether these are in line with the guidelines. This survey aimed to investigate the current trends in the clinical management of CanL among veterinary practitioners in Portugal, taking into consideration different scenarios of infection/disease and the awareness of and application by veterinary practitioners of the current guidelines. Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted online using an electronic platform. The following topics were surveyed: (i) general characteristics of the responding veterinarian; (ii) the preferred protocols used for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CanL, considering different theoretical scenarios of infection/disease; and (iii) the responding veterinarian's current knowledge and application of the existing guidelines on CanL. After internal validation, the survey was distributed online, for 2 months, via Portuguese social network veterinary groups. Data were collected for descriptive analysis. Results: Eighty-six replies were obtained. Analysis of the results showed that the preferred diagnostic techniques varied widely according to the theoretical scenario of infection/disease. In general daily practice, serology testing (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) was the most used tool (67.4%). The preferred matrices used for PCR test were lymph nodes (62.3%) and/or bone marrow (59.0%). Regarding treatment, for subclinical infection/stage I CanL, 51.2% of the respondents did not prescribe any medical treatment, but 98.8% proceeded with both monitoring and preventive measures. Among those who prescribed a treatment (n = 42), most chose domperidone (47.6%). For the treament of stages IIa, IIb and III CanL, allopurinol/meglumine antimoniate (MA) was chosen by 69.8, 73.3 and 51.2% of respondents, respectively, followed by allopurinol/miltefosine (20.9, 19.8 and 38.4%, respectively). In contrast, dogs with stage IV CanL were mostly treated with allopurinol/miltefosine (48.8%) rather than with allopurinol/MA (23.3%). The use of repellents was the preferred preventive strategy (98.8%). About 93.0% of responders were aware of the existence of guidelines, and most of these veterinarians consulted the guidelines of the LeishVet group and the Canine Leishmaniosis Working Group; however, 31.3% reported that they did not follow any specific recommendations. Conclusions: Of the veterinarians responding to the survey, most reported following international guidelines for the clinical management of CanL. While allopurinol/MA was the preferred therapeutic protocol for the treatment of stages II/III CanL, allopurinol/miltefosine was the first choice for the treatment of stage IV CanL, possibly due to the unpredictable effect of MA on renal function. This study contributes to a better understanding of the trends in practical approaches to the treatment of CanL in Portugal.