Prevalence and Risk Factors for Canine Leishmaniasis in Mashhad, North East of Iran

The present study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of canine leishmaniasis in a population of owned and strayed dogs in Mashhad, north-east Iran. Of 300 serum samples obtained from dogs, 8.67% (26/300) were positive for Leishmaniainfantum by Indirect Florcense Antibody Test (IFAT). The sero-prevalence rates in owned and stray dogs were 9.5% (19/200) and 7% (7/100) respectively. Significant differenceswere observed between the age groups (P < 0.05); dogs less than one year old showed the highest seroprevalence rate (17.4 %). The seroprevalence rate for leishmania infection in male and female dogs were 10.43 % (17/163) and 6.57% (9/137) respectively. In addition, the seroprevalence rate for leishmania infection in small and large breeds of dogs were 10.5% (6/57) and 8.2% (29/243) respectively. No significant difference was found between sex and breed of the studied dogs. The number of lymphocytes were significantly higher in the leishmania-infected dogs than dogs which were not infected (P)