Avaliação sorológica de anticorpos para leishmania spp. na população canina na região de foco de leihsmaniose tegumentar americana na Lomba do Pinheiro, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

Abstract

Através da realização do estudo podemos concluir que 3,5% dos cães estudados apresentaram positividade na IFI; a soropositividade baixa associada ao fato de os animais positivos terem sido assintomáticos, não descartam o seu papel como fonte de infecção e potencial risco à saúde pública. Assim sendo, os resultados encontrados evidenciam a possibilidade da existência do protozoário na população canina da região, tornando necessárias novas pesquisas, utilizando técnicas diagnósticas mais sensíveis, para comprovação dos resultados obtidos.

The leishmaniosis is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan from the genus Leishmania spp., wich is considered in expansion in Brazil. In 2002 it was notify the first autochthonous human case of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in a district of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Presently, 17 human cases were notified until November 2005, and there are many suspect cases, waiting for the diagnostic confirmation, converting this State in a risk area for the ATL. In the urban area, the dog plays an important role, acting as a source of infection and reservoir of this protozoan. Therefore a serological evaluation was done in 200 domicilliary dogs in a 1 km radius from 3 autochthonous human cases that occurred at the Rincão Road, located at the region of Lomba do Pinheiro, Porto Alegre district, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The Indirect immunofluorescent reaction (IFR) was used for the serologic diagnosis of the dogs. The seroprevalence of Leishmania spp. antibodies was 3,5% (7/200), considering that from all the positives, 6 were male individuals and 1 was a female. Using the Fischer’s Accurate Test for the statistical analysis, it was observed a significant association (p = 0,0484) between positives to the IFR and the gender of the animals. It was evidenced that males are 7 times (odds-ratio = 7,624) more predisposed to this infection than the females. The human presence plus the detection of Leishmania spp. antibodies in the canine population, demonstrates that the participation of the dogs occurs in the epidemiologic cycle of this disease in the urban focus from the Rincão Road.